


Phantom's Game

by JudaiNeos04



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5: The Royal - Fandom, Persona Series
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, The King's Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:06:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 67,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25717009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JudaiNeos04/pseuds/JudaiNeos04
Summary: With the day of Dr. Maruki's actualization approaching, Akira decides to invite his friends to a place in Shinjuku as a change of pace and atmosphere from all other previous locations to ease their tensions. Things take a turn for the unexpected however, as someone suggests they play a game.Having already won the rigged game against the God of Control, and currently playing a new game he and his beloved created, will Akira be able to win this game that requires following the orders of a... King?
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Sakura Futaba & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 102
Kudos: 121





	1. Make The Plan

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Just wanted to say this is my first fic so I'll appreciate any constructive criticism to my writing and how the grammar is.
> 
> Now, let's begin.

**1/31/2017 - Leblanc**

After spending time with everyone at Penguin Sniper, Akira messaged Sumire to let her know he was home and began to plan out what their next date night should be. Ever since they confessed their love for each other, Akira took it upon himself to show how serious he took their relationship, bringing her to many places in the evening such as the jazz club and the sky tower or simply spending the night cuddling in Leblanc in each other’s warmth. While Sumire would tell him he doesn’t need to do this much for her, he would constantly reassure her that it’s nothing to worry about because she’s worth every second of his time, causing her to get flustered every now and then from the kind and loving gesture.

_Sumire Yoshizawa <3 _

Hey Sumi! Made it back to Leblanc safe and sound. **:Akira**

 **Sumire:** Great to hear you made it back safely Akira-senpai! <3

 **Sumire:** I also got permission from my parents to spend the night tomorrow! They were surprisingly very okay with it since they didn’t ask too many questions… 

Akira remembered meeting Sumire’s dad on New Year’s Day after their shrine visit, though that was back when she believed she was still Kasumi. He could vividly recall the moment Sumire’s dad told him she would always talk about him, much to her embarrassment. 

Well, your dad did say you talk about me all the time when we met so… ;) **:Akira**

It took a few seconds for Sumire to respond back.

 **Sumire:** Senpai! I said not all the time remember!

I know, I know. But you can’t tell me that explains why they were so lenient right? **:Akira**

 **Sumire:** SENPAI!

Kidding! **:Akira**

Anyways, do you have anywhere you want to go for tomorrow’s date night? **:Akira**

While it was true that Akira brought Sumire to many of their evening adventures to show his affection for her, it was also because of the looming threat of Dr. Maruki’s actualization. With the days approaching closer and closer, Akira wanted to spend as much time as he could with the person he loves the most for their upcoming final battle, just in case something were to happen. Then again, if he shot the God of Control right in the face, surely they all could manage their former high school counselor right?

 **Sumire:** Actually senpai, I was wondering if it’s okay if we can spend the evening with everyone tomorrow?

 **Sumire:** I know we all went to play darts and billiards earlier, but I can still feel their distress.

 **Sumire:** So is it okay if I can make that request?

He knew she was right. While everyone seemed to have fun and enjoyed each other’s company (barred Akechi), he could still feel the tension everyone had as the day of actualization drew nearer. Taking into consideration that everyone would most likely prefer to spend their afternoon in Mementos as a way to vent their personal conflicts on the matter, an idea popped into his head.

I could bring everyone to a place in Shinjuku if you'd like? **:Akira**

 **Sumire:** Wait Shinjuku!? As in, the place only for adults!?

Akira laughed at Sumire’s message, though it was to be expected. 

Don’t worry, the place I’m thinking of is completely safe **:Akira**

 **Sumire:** Okay…

 **Sumire:** I do trust you after all!

You’re the best! I’ll let everyone know the plan after we go to Mementos. **:Akira**

_PToH_

After we visit Mementos tomorrow, I was thinking about this place we could go to after. : **Akira**

It’s not Penguin Sniper in case anyone was wondering. **:Akira**

 **Ryuji:** I’m in! I’ve been wanting more nights where I can just kick back and relax with the gang.

 **Ann:** Me too! I actually haven’t been able to do anything at night anyways since Dr. Maruki’s actualization is just around the corner…

 **Yusuke:** I too am in agreement. I am currently having trouble deciding what I want to paint so this small adventure should provide the stimulation I require.

 **Futaba:** Ewww Inari!

 **Futaba:** Anyways, me four!

 **Makoto:** I guess it’s safe to assume everyone will be able to go tomorrow?

 **Haru:** I’d love to go!

 **Akechi:** I suppose I’ll entertain myself for the evening again.

 **Sumire:** Yay!

Oh yeah, everyone should thank Sumire. It was her idea after all. **:Akira**

 **Haru:** Thank you Sumire-chan!

 **Yusuke:** You have my thanks.

 **Ann:** Thank you Sumire!

 **Sumire:** No it’s okay! No need to thank me!

 **Sumire:** I just wanted to spend more time with everyone that’s all.

 **Futaba:** Has Akira become too boring for you already? Mwehehe.

 **Sumire:** What! No! I never said that!

 **Futaba:** Mhmm. Suuuure ;)

 **Sumire:** Futaba-senpai! 

**Sumire:** I love Akira-senpai with all of my heart! He’ll NEVER bore me!

Akira felt his cheek’s blush from Sumire’s direct answer to Futaba.

 **Futaba:** So her true feelings are revealed yet again!

 **Haru:** Awww Sumire-chan!

 **Ann:** You’re too adorable Sumire! Now if only you can get Akira to do that too.

ANYWAYS **:Akira**

It’s kind of important that we don’t wear our school uniforms to the place we’re going. **:Akira**

 **Ann:** Booo you’re no fun Akira.

 **Ann:** Umm, how come?

 **Makoto:** I’m beginning to have second thoughts if I’m thinking of the right place.

 **Ryuji:** Wait, are we going where I think we’re going?

 **Ryuji:** Wait, Makoto you’ve been there??

 **Makoto:** I could be asking you the same question.

 **Futaba:** Awe stop being a bunch of babies! 

**Ryuji:** Easy for you to say! You don’t even go to school!

 **Futaba:** Which is why I’m not chickening out!

 **Haru:** Regardless, I think the place Akira-kun is bringing us to should be an experience we can share together.

 **Ann:** Haru’s right! It’ll be like one of those moments we can look back and laugh about.

 **Yusuke:** I can’t help but feel even more interested. It looks like I’ll have sufficient inspiration for my next art piece.

 **Sumire:** From what Akira-senpai told me, it’s a safe place.

 **Sumire:** But that’s all he told me…

 **Makoto:** I think I have an idea where this place is…

 **Ryuji:** Same here…

It looks like we’re all in agreement. **:Akira**

I’ll explain everything after Mementos. **:Akira**

I’ll see you all tomorrow. Good night everyone! **:Akira**

 **Ann:** Night!

 **Makoto:** Good night.

 **Yusuke:** Farewell.

 **Haru:** Good bye everyone!

 **Sumire:** Night everyone!

 **Ryuji:** See yah!

Logging off from the group chat, Akira decided to call Sumire before going to sleep, lying comfortably on his bed as he made the call.

“Hey Akira-senpai!” Sumire happily greeted upon answering the call from her beloved, wanting to play around and be a little flirty. “Couldn’t go to bed without hearing my voice?” 

Sumire’s flirtatious attempt made Akira chuckle a little bit. “If it helps, that could be one reason. But it’s also cause I k-kinda wanted to make a request to you…”, laughing nervously at the end of his statement.

“Of course! What is it you want me to do?” Sumire asked with a flirtatious tone before realizing what she could’ve been insinuating. “O-of course it’s nothing I sh-should be worried about, r-right!?”

“O-Of course not, Sumi! Why? Did you have something in particular in mind?” Akira asked teasingly.

“Ughhhh Senpai!” Sumire whined as she fell right into his trap.

“I jest, my dear Violet.” Akira said in an attempt to calm her a little bit with a warm smile. “Umm, anyways,” he felt himself already stumbling. “I-is it okay if you can wear the dress you bought when you brought me along for that shopping trip… As well as have your hair down with your glasses… ?”

Sumire couldn’t help herself from giggling from Akira’s request. “Remember what I told you, Senpai, about how I want to be selfish with you? I also want to see you show the same selfishness I show. Though I guess you’ve been doing that pretty well too these last few nights huh?”

“So umm… is that a-”

“It’s a yes, Senpai!” She decided to cut him off. “I always want your eyes on me. Plus, it was really fun watching your reaction when I stepped out wearing that dress!”

“Umm, excuse me but _who_ was the one who thought my love for her was meant for her dress while also turning super red?” Akira shot back.

“H-Hey!" Sumire could feel her cheeks flare up from embarrassment. "I didn’t expect you to say it right there!”

“Uh huh. And _who_ was the one that was wondering what _I_ wanted to see her in?” 

“S-Senpai!”

“Okay okay, I’m done, promise.” Akira couldn’t help himself from holding a laugh from teasing her. She was just _too_ cute. 

“You better be! Or else I’m not wearing that dress or fixing my hair tomorrow. Hmph!” 

Knowing her, she was probably pouting, but he couldn’t tell if she was serious about her threat. Wanting to play it safe, he decided to apologize. He instantly regretted his decision.

“You _really_ want to see me in that dress, huh Senpai?” 

Akira let out a defeated sigh. “... Yes... I do.”

“You’re so cute!” Sumire giggled from him admitting defeat.

“A-anyways, it’s getting kind of late for the both of us. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

“W-wait!” 

Akira was caught off guard from Sumire’s unexpected cry.

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” A slight worried tone encompassed his voice, as he wasn’t sure what caused her to act in such a way so suddenly.

“U-um, is it okay if I can also make a request? S-Since you made one a-after all!” 

Relieved that nothing bad happened to her, he gave her his full undivided attention, listening to what her request could possibly be.

“I-I was wondering i-if it’s okay... If I can, umm, listen to your v-voice as I go to sleep…” 

While initially surprised by her request, Akira had a better idea.

“Hold on Sumi, give me one second.” 

Removing his phone from his ear, he went to his current call with Sumire and pressed the video chat feature, placing his left hand behind his head as he waited for his request to reach her. Not long after, Sumire appeared on his screen, lying on her side hugging a pillow. The only light illuminating the two teens came from their respective phones and the moon itself.

“Have I ever told you how cute you are?” Akira couldn’t help himself from saying those words when he was greeted with her in her pajamas and hugging a pillow. 

The compliment caused Sumire’s face to become a deep shade of red as she hugged her pillow tighter. “P-please don’t tease me, Senpai..."

Akira laughed softly at her comment before apologizing, until another idea popped into his head. 

“Do you wish that pillow was me?” Akira asked with a smirk.

Despite being scandalized by his question, Sumire nodded slowly before mumbling something into her pillow, something Akira wasn’t able to catch. He decided to press her on what she mumbled but not in a teasing way since he was rather interested in what she said.

Very reluctantly, Sumire moved her face away from her pillow with an adorable pout. “I wish my pillow was you so I can hold you very tightly and never let go!”

Akira’s smirk transformed into a smug grin, very happy to hear that from her but also for making it too easy for him. “You know you can only do that if we share the same bed right?”

As if on cue, Sumire began to stammer at the suggestion before hiding her face in her pillow again. Eventually, Sumire removed her face from the pillow and mumbled her answer, looking away from her phone with her face extremely red.

‘Wait, did she say what I think she said?’ The thought crossed his mind as he wasn’t sure what Sumire said. ‘If she said no, she wouldn’t have said anything, right?’

“H-Hey Sumi. Is it okay if you can repeat your answer?” 

With a groan, Sumire mumbled her answer to Akria, her face still visibly flushed while diverting her attention away from her phone. “Yes.”

To say that he wasn’t expecting her answer would be an understatement. Sure, they cuddled on his bed while watching a movie or a TV show during their evening dates in Leblanc, but sleeping with her in the same bed? Akira felt his cheeks heating up just from the thought of it. Wanting to confirm what he heard, he asked her again just to make sure.

“Senpai! Ughhh you’re just going to tease me again!” Sumire continued to whine from his persistence. 

“N-No I won’t, I swear! It’s just umm… I wasn’t sure if you said what I think you said…” Akira could tell his nervousness caught Sumire’s attention. He dropped his arm holding his phone on his bed and used his left arm to cover his face as a way to hide the blush that slowly formed on his face.

Once again hearing the nervousness in his voice, Sumire decided to look at her phone where she noticed an absent senpai. “Umm, Senpai are you still there?” 

“H-huh? Oh. Yeah, I’m still here, Sumi.”

This piqued her interest even more. “Umm, then how come I can’t see your face?”

“Umm, give me one second.” Hoping that his blush calmed down, he moved his arm holding his phone back to himself with his left hand covering his face.

“Uhh, is there a reason why you’re covering your face Senpai?” 

Realizing there’s no point hiding his embarrassment any longer, he removed his left hand from his face, showing his slightly pink cheeks. “W-well, I kinda didn’t expect you to answer so directly..." 

Sumire was stunned. She didn’t expect her honesty to get such a reaction from him. Her stunned face eventually turned into a smirk that rivaled her boyfriend’s as she’s never seen him so flustered. Besides today, these chances rarely came her way. The only other time she can remember was when they confessed their love for each other, specifically when she took the initiative and kissed him first while simultaneously removing their glasses. In her defense, his face was really close to hers to the point where he was practically asking for it.

“Hmm, and what was my answer exactly? I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to place a finger on why I forgot it all of a sudden… ” She looked at Akira with that playful grin of hers while placing a finger on her chin as if in deep thought.

Akira knew he fell right into her trap. “ … You said yes…” He mumbled.

“I’m sorry Senpai, I didn’t quite catch that. Yes to _what_ exactly?”

‘Why is she so cute!' Akira’s thoughts rang through his head again. 'And why am I suddenly enjoying this!?’

Starting with a heavy sigh, Akira reminded Sumire what her answer was. “You said yes, you want to share the same bed with me..." 

“Ah hah! So that’s what it was! How could I forget?” Sumire shouted in glee as quietly as she could to not disturb her family. “Of course I want to share the same bed with my _dashing_ prince so we can give each other good night kisses as he wraps his arms around me to keep me safe.” She hummed as she hugged her pillow tight, rolling side to side on her bed.

Adjusting himself on his bed so he’s now laying on his side, he smiles at Sumire’s comment before adding his own. “I’ll do anything to make my _lovely_ princess smile forever.” This in turn caused Sumire to release her grip on her pillow and smile at him in return.

Akira and Sumire continued to smile and gaze at each other, happy to share this moment no matter how insignificant it could’ve been with the moonlight encompassing them beautifully. They both knew what to say, as if the moonlight placed them in a trance.

“I love you.”

Suddenly, Akira heard something stumble upon his window before groaning as he saw two white paws climb their way up into his room. ‘Oh great, of course it had to happen now of all times.’ 

“Huh? You’re still awake? Shouldn’t you be sleeping now?” Morgana greeted his partner after jumping from the window and landing on his bed right next to him.

“I’m talking to Sumire.” Akira did his best to hide his annoyance so as to not ruin the current atmosphere with her.

“Hello Morgana-senpai!” Sumire chimed from Akira’s phone.

“Oh... “ Morgana said begrudgingly as he knew he messed up. “H-Hey Sumire.”

“Well, you head what Morgana said, Sumi.” Akira tried to laugh off his comment. “Looks like it’s time for us to go to sleep.”

Giggling at the gesture, Sumire began to search for a comfortable position on her bed before looking back at Akira with a smile. “Are you going to watch me sleep too?”

Akira chuckled lightly. “What kind of boyfriend wouldn’t want to make sure their girlfriend gets enough sleep?”

Sumire’s smile grew wider at the kind thought. “You’re such a dork,” unable to suppress a giggle from her response. “I’ll make sure my dress is ready tomorrow, just for you. Good night, Akira-senpai.” She said through a yawn.

“Sweet dreams, my dear princess.” Akira said softly, seeing another smile grow on Sumire’s face before drowsiness encapsulated her, ending the video chat once he heard her coo in peace.

“Well Morgana, I hope you’re ready for tomorrow.” Akira said as he turned his attention to his partner, putting his phone away while adjusting his sheets.

“Tomorrow? Why what’s happening tomorrow?” Morgana couldn’t help himself but ask.

Akira gave his partner a small smile, feeling the same drowsiness that surrounded Sumire. “You’ll see. It should be fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, this is my first fic so any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated! I'll try to maintain a reasonable update schedule since I'm halfway (I think) through chapter 2. 
> 
> But yeah, thank you for reading chapter 1! Hopefully it keeps those that read it interested in this short story since originally it was just a one-shot. Pretty sure there will be some people that can guess the direction of where this story goes, which I will neither confirm nor deny as of now.


	2. Execute the Plan (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their final journey to Mementos complete, Akira, Morgana, and Futaba walk Sumire to her house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for the excessive stuttering/stammering in this chapter. Someone decided they wanted to be cute rather than warm. I also tried to fix the spacing issue that this website does so hopefully it's easier to read.
> 
> Now, let's get this show on the road.

**2/1/2017 - Sumire’s House**

After their final excursion in Mementos, everyone agreed to meet at the Shibuya station once they went home and changed out of their winter uniforms. Since Sumire was spending the night at Leblanc, Akira, Morgana, and Futaba walked her home to be time efficient. Along the walk, Futaba made it her mission to tease the couple with any chance she got, only able to get Sumire flustered as Akira did his best to ignore her pestering. The group of 4 eventually made it to Sumire’s house, where she walked inside to get dressed and collect all of her belongings she would need for the sleepover.

“Sooo Akira!” Futaba decided to break the silence as they waited for Sumire while also grabbing Morgana from his school bag. She was wearing a neon green oversized hoodie with a purple pixelated alien design on top of a black undershirt with black tights, a blue belt with studs hanging around her waist, and a black beanie. “What’s this cool place you’re bringing us?”

“H-Hey! What d-do you t-think you’re doing!? It’s freaking c-cold out here!” Morgana shrieked before huddling in her arms to stay warm. “B-But I do agree. Y-You didn’t even t-tell me where we’re going last night.”

“Oh yeah, sorry about that.” Akira apologized to his partner, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. “We’re going to a place in Shinjuku.”

Morgana wasn’t fazed by Akira’s choice since he accompanied him every time he went to see Chihaya Mifune or Ichiko Ohya to help them out with their respective issues. Futaba, though, was surprised to learn of their destination. 

“S-Shinjuku!? Really!?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as people make it seem.” Akira did his best to make sure Futaba didn’t have second thoughts. “I actually work part-time at the place we’re going to so there’s nothing to worry about.”

He expected his words to reassure Futaba that she’ll be fine, which it indeed worked. What he didn’t expect, however, was for her to look at him with her signature grin.

“Heehehe, I thought you had to be 18 to work there.”

“Well, all I do is serve drinks and talk to customers about their day.” Akira explained, still puzzled by her current expression. “My boss was the one to offer me the job during one of my visits where I helped out a friend.”

“Wow, I thought you’d be trying to get some catches but you’ve already reached a high-enough rank.” The shift of Futaba’s visage from cheekiness to shock caught Akira’s attention as he listened more closely to her words. “Soooo what’s your stage name?”

“Stage name? Why would I need a stage name?” He looked at her, trying to make sense of what she was insinuating. 

“Y-yeah, I don’t t-think he needs a s-stage name for just serving drinks and talking to people.” Morgana adding his own input, still trying to keep himself warm in Futaba’s arms.

“Silence kitty! C’mon Akira! What kind of host doesn’t have a stage name! Wait! Does Sumire even know you’re a host!?”

“Wait… Huh!?”

“Don’t tell me Sumire’s okay with you working as a host! Wait, she doesn’t even know you’re a host does she!?” Futaba’s eyes grew wider as she continued to speak. “I know you both love each other and everything, but I didn’t expect you to-”

“Futaba!” Akira cut her off before she sputtered anymore ideas. “I’m not a host! Nor will I ever be one! And Sumire wouldn’t have been okay with me working as one in the first place, I’m sure of it.” A nervous laugh left his mouth as he tried to cool any tension he may have accidentally brought. 

“Ohhh… Hehe, sorry Akira…” Futaba said, diverting her eyes to the ground as a way to not look at him.

He could tell she was feeling bad from the assumptions she made, deciding to give her a small pat on the head with a soft smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’s kinda my fault anyways for trying to keep it a secret.”

“Hehe, thanks.” She sent him a warm smile back. “I guess I, umm, asked about Sumire all of a sudden because I see how happy you two are whenever you’re together. So I guess I felt betrayed by the idea of you doing something like that behind her back…” 

“Woah woah, what happened to wanting to know my stage name?” Akira gave Futaba a smirk to try and lighten the mood even more.

“Ugh! C’mon Akira! I’m out here revealing all my cards about the two of you and you’re still stuck on stage names 8 interactions ago!?”

“I agree with F-Futaba. And will you l-let me g-go already!” Morgana squealed, no longer able to handle the cold. Futaba placed him back in Akira’s bag, watching him sit comfortably inside.

“Ahhhh. Sooo warm.”

“Sorry Mona.”

“Anyways…” Akira spoke up. “I kinda felt bad for raising my voice earlier, so I kinda wanted to mess around a little... Guess it didn’t really work, huh?”

“Well, yeah. You could’ve said something a little better than that based on what Futaba was saying.” The disappointment from Morgana’s voice was felt by everyone.

“Ehhh, don’t sweat it!” Futaba interjected with a grin now on her face. “The only thing that matters is you treat Sumire right after everything she’s done for you!”

“Hmm, it looks to me that you seem more worried about Sumire than the place we’re going to now.”

“Well of course I am now! After mentioning your girlfriend, I remembered we were the same age! And I kinda w-want her to be my c-co-op partner because of that…” Futaba trailed off as she started to shy away.

A small smile grew on Akira’s face after hearing Futaba’s words. “You know, Sumire actually told me the same thing after she learned that too.”

“R-really?” She snapped back to him with expecting eyes.

“Mhm. She wants to get to know you more outside of the Phantom Thieves since she has a hunch you’ll both be attending high school together next year.”

“E-even if we’re t-totally different and our personalities aren’t a B-Best Match?” 

“Maybe you should ask her that yourself.” Akira told her with a supportive tone, watching as Futaba looked at him with a new drive to become closer with Sumire.

As if on cue, the person of their current topic emerged from her house, closing her front door before walking up to the two.

“S-S-Sorry to keep you w-w-waiting, A-Akira-senpai and F-Futaba-senpai!”

Sumire greeted the two with a joyful smile, wearing the long-sleeved violet dress with the white collar and white cuffs Akira requested with black pantyhose, accompanied with her black-rimmed glasses and her hair flowing straight down. In her hands were two bags; her school bag and another larger bag that appeared to contain her necessities for the night when they returned to Leblanc from their escapade. Draped over her arm was her red overcoat, which _should_ have been keeping her warm. 

“Woaaah Sumire! You look like you maxed out all your points on your gear!” Futaba shouted in glee upon seeing her walk up to them, until her mood changed. “And I’m not your Senpai!”

“T-T-Thank you F-Futaba-sen- Uhh, Futaba-san!” Sumire responded to the compliment.

“Hey! What about me Sumire!?” Morgana popped his head out of the school bag.

“Ah! S-Sorry to keep y-you waiting too M-Morgana-senpai!.” She greeted Morgana as she watched him go back inside.

Akira reached over with one hand to grab both of her bags, placing them both over his shoulder that his school bag was on. As he grabbed her overcoat with his other hand and got ready to help her put it on, Sumire stopped him.

“W-Wait, A-Akira-senpai!” She took a few steps away from him.

“Umm, what’s wrong Sumi?”

“Yeah Sumire, you’re practically freezing from the looks of it.” Futaba added with concern.

“I-It’s just… U-Umm… “ Sumire muttered before clasping both of her hands in front of her and giving her boyfriend an affectionate smile with slightly rosy cheeks. “H-How do I l-look?” 

“Well, you look really cold.” Akira answered rather bluntly, causing Futaba to laugh uncontrollably.

Sumire’s slightly rosy cheeks grew into an intense red blush from the comment Akira gave her. “A-A-Akira-senpai! Y-You’re s-so mean!” An adorable pout formed on her face as she looked away from him. The fact she was still shivering made the entire thing even more cuter.

“Sorry, couldn’t help it.” Akira gave her a smile to let her know he’s done teasing. “I’m in love.”

“N-No f-fair! You already s-s-said that b-before!” Sumire whined despite it being clear to everyone she enjoyed what she heard.

“Blegh. Can’t you come up with anything more original?” Futaba chastised him for the cheesy compliment. “And aren’t you gonna do something to keep her from dying!?”

“But it’s true! I’m in _love_ with Sumire Yoshizawa and her _gracefulness_ in everything that she does, such as wearing that _beautiful_ violet dress she wore for me.” Akira retorted back to Futaba, earning himself a surprised look from the quirky girl because of the suave behind his words. The both of them then turned their attention to Sumire, noticing she’s no longer shivering.

Hearing those words made the vibrant red blush on Sumire’s face turn into a shade of red they didn’t even know existed. Her attempts at saying words were to no avail as she continuously stumbled on each syllable that left her mouth.

“Hey Akira…” Futaba whispered as discreetly as possible. “I think you broke her.”

“I think I may have gone a little overboard…” A nervous laugh left Akira’s mouth before turning his attention to Sumire with a sheepish smile, who was still _broken_ according to Futaba. “Sor-”

Akira’s apology got interrupted by a sudden tight embrace from Sumire, not realizing she made a mad dash toward him. He felt her burying her face into his chest as she tightened her arms around him. When he was able to recollect himself, he decided to rest his chin on the top of her head and return the embrace with a tight squeeze of his own.

“Akira-senpai… You big meanie… And you’re too cheesy…” Sumire mumbled before mumbling something else that he didn’t catch.

“Sorry Sumi, what was that?” Akira asked as he pulled back a little from the hug so he could watch her speak. 

Again, she mumbled something louder than earlier but he unfortunately still couldn’t understand what she said. Very reluctantly, he let go with his right arm and used it as a way to create some distance between the two of them, resting his hand on her shoulder. Sumire, with her face still red but not as intense as it was earlier and her arms still around him, looked away to make sure her red eyes didn’t meet his gray ones just yet.

“Hey, Sumire...” He started off, noticing she was purposefully averting his gaze. “Can you look at me?”

She shook her head, keeping her eyes closed before and directed at the ground.

With a light sigh, Akira moved his hand from her shoulder and onto her chin, lifting it up ever so slightly to where their eyes would meet. “You won’t know if my eyes are on you if they stay closed you know.”

Listening to his voice speak very softly to her, she opened her eyes. She was immediately met with a pair of expecting gray orbs and that welcoming smile of his that made her feel like everything was going to be alright. The pigment of red on her cheeks began to settle down as she took a deep breath.

“Want to know what I said, Senpai?”

“Of course.”

“I said…” She started until she trailed off.

“… Yes?”

“…” She just smiled, looking into his pleading eyes.

“Umm... ?”

“…” 

“Sumire?”

“I said you’re a big meanie senpai!”

She told Akira with a smile so warm it caused his heart to skip a beat. She couldn’t help herself from giggling after watching his reaction change from expecting something huge to disheartened while still holding her chin up, with her giggling turning into laughter. It didn’t take long for him to laugh too because of the sudden shift in the mood she just created.

“What am I going to-”

Sumire cut him off him, leaning forward and raising herself off the ground a little to reach him. She planted a kiss onto his unexpecting lips, enchanting him with her unconditional love. It took a few seconds for Akira to register what was happening, astonished that she took the initiative once again, until he returned the gesture. They stayed like that for a while, unaware of the little gremlin taking photos of the two. Eventually, Sumire released Akira from the spell she put him under, looking into his eyes once more.

“I love you, Akira-senpai. With all of my heart. Now and forever. That’s what I told you when you saw my routine, and that’s what I told you now.” Sumire beamed, revealing the words she mumbled while holding onto him really tightly. “And, umm, t-thank you. F-For saying those things.”

“I love you too, Sumire. You stole my heart, just like how I stole yours. I’ll always be watching you, as my eyes are for you and you alone.” Akira replied back with a grin that matched hers, pressing his forehead against hers. “I’ll gladly remind you whenever you want me to. Now c’mon, let’s put on your coat so you can stop shivering.”

“But I already feel warm, just like this.” Sumire closed the distance between them, burying her face into his chest as well as tightening her arms around him again. “Can’t we just stay like this until we get to Leblanc?”

Akira chuckled at the suggestion. “Maybe next time. For now, we gotta head back so I can change out of my uniform and so we can also drop off your stuff.”

“Don’t worry Sumire! Just gotta grind some more levels and you’ll be able to do that stuff when you get married!” Futaba chimed in, reminding the two that she’s also there.

“Levels? Wait Futaba-senpai, did you just say married!?” Sumire was scandalized by Futaba’s words.

“Gah! I said I’m not your senpai Sumire! And duh, of course I did! You guys practically exchanged A-tier wedding vows that could be S-tier when you guys get older and add more content to them! You even forgot I was here when you started making out for crying out loud!” Futaba told the two with a tiny hint of annoyance at the end, witnessing their faces slightly get coated with a shade of pink.

“W-We didn’t make out! R-Right Akira-senpai!?” Sumire asked her boyfriend before realizing they still had their arms wrapped around each other, releasing him and taking a few steps back with her face slowly becoming hotter.

“Y-Yeah! We didn’t! It wasn’t even for that long, right?” Akira stated with a pleading yet questioning tone. 

“Mhmm, sure it wasn’t that long.” Futaba said with a devilish grin while whipping her phone out of her pocket. 

Getting the hint, Akira and Sumire both pulled out their phones, noticing a few notifications from the group chat 3 minutes ago.

“T-Three minutes!?” Sumire exclaimed, unsure if three minutes actually passed while she and Akira shared their moment.

With a heavy sigh, Akira opened the group chat on his phone with Sumire doing the same thing. The first thing the couple saw were two photos of them kissing in their romantic embrace. The only difference was the first photo had Akira visibly caught off guard from the kiss. 

_PToH_

**Futaba:** Attachment: 1 Image

 **Futaba:** Attachment: 1 Image

 **Futaba:** Mweheehe!

 **Haru:** Awww they’re so cute together!

 **Haru:** Your dress is so pretty Sumire-chan!

 **Yusuke:** The way the white accents the vivid violet predominant on the dress itself is a wise design choice.

 **Makoto:** Futaba, we’re going to have a LONG conversation about privacy.

 **Futaba:** C’mon Makoto! What else was I supposed to do while they made out!

 **Futaba:** They forgot I was here!

 **Makoto:** That doesn’t give you permission to take photos of them!

 **Ann:** OMG.

 **Ann:** Look at Akira in the first photo!

 **Yusuke:** What a surprising expression indeed. I don’t believe I have seen him act in such a way that could provoke such a raw emotion.

 **Haru:** It’s really sweet though, is it not? Akira-kun always seems to act strong for all of our sakes because of his position as our leader. It’s nice to see him be like this.

 **Ann:** Haru’s right Akira! You need to show this side of yourself more!

 **Ryuji:** But all he’s doin’ is acting embarrassed. How’s that any different?

 **Ann:** Ugh, you won’t get it Ryuji!

 **Ryuji:** What’s that supposed to mean!?

 **Ann:** Anyways, sooo Sumire what did you do???

Akira heard Sumire giggling once they both caught up with the most recent message. As soon as he saw her grin mischievously in his direction, he took the initiative to answer Ann.

She just kissed me. **:Akira**

 **Ann:** You’re lying! There’s no way that was it!

“I don’t know Senpai, was that really it?” He looked up from his phone upon hearing Sumire, being welcomed with what is now a smug grin.

His attempts of controlling a small laugh from seeing her cute smug attitude failed as he knew there was no point in denying what happened. He took a few steps toward Sumire and gave her a peck.

“I’ll let you win this time.” He told her with his infamous smirk, returning his attention to his phone. 

Sumire, on the other hand, felt her cheeks heat up from the short kiss. She grabbed onto his free arm and held it tight, looking at him expectantly. Staring back at her for a few seconds, he pinched her nose, causing her to scrunch her face cutely before leaning on his arm as she watched him send his text. 

Well, technically she kissed me by surprise. **:Akira**

After I told her how beautiful she looked in her dress. **:Akira**

“You’re cheating! You didn’t tell them everything!” Sumire whined as Akira laughed at her. 

**Haru:** Awww that’s so sweet Akira-kun!

 **Ann:** Hmm, I don’t know… It feels like there’s something still missing… 

“See! Even Ann-senpai could tell!” 

**Yusuke:** The magnificence of a blossoming love. How I can’t wait to observe it over time.

 **Futaba:** Blegh! Why do you gotta make everything weird Inari!

“But I did tell them one of the important parts, no? Now c’mon, you really should put on your coat.” Akira said as he opened up her coat.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Sumire sighed with a small smile, turning around and getting her arms ready for him to help her. 

As he was about to cover her, Akira went back to his phone to send a quick message to everyone.

We’re on our way to Leblanc, so let’s meet at Shibuya Station within the next hour. **:Akira**

“It’s p-pretty cold, A-Akira-senpai.” Sumire turned her head slightly to look at Akira over her shoulder.

“Oh right. Sorry, just making sure everyone knows what time we're meeting.”

Once he put his phone away, he helped Sumire with her coat. After feeding both her arms through the sleeves and making sure her hair flowed outside of it, he decided to surprise her a little.

“Thank you-Eep!”

Interrupting her gratitude, Akira enveloped Sumire within his arms. The sudden action surprised Sumire as she felt herself get pulled in his direction.

“Wow Akira! Smooth!” Futaba yelled, giving him a double thumbs-up.

Sumire wasn’t sure what was more embarrassing; Akira hugging her from behind when all he was supposed to do was help with her coat or Futaba watching the entire thing who might as well have taken a photo of it. Just the thought of both ideas caused her face to burn a bright, vibrant red.

“I-I-um-you-”

“What’s wrong Sumi? Didn’t you say you were feeling cold?” Akira leaned his head over her shoulder, making sure she could see his signature smirk. “I thought you wanted to walk to Leblanc like this, no?”

“SENPAI!” Sure it was her idea in the first place, but she was clutching his front. The back hug she currently got was too much for her to handle. “Ididbutnotlike-”

As she was turning her head to look at him, her words were stopped by his lips pressing onto hers. She couldn’t believe it.

‘How does he always do this!?’ 

Releasing her from the kiss, Akira finally let her go from the back hug, watching her take a few staggering steps away from him. ‘Why does she have to be so cute.’

“Hehe I didn’t expect you two to be the type for PDA.” Futaba snickered.

“Technically, we’re just outside her house.” Akira answered back. “Besides, I only hugged her from behind. We only do the simple things.”

“Mhmm, suuure.” Futaba gave him a look that suggested otherwise. “Now let’s get going already! The planner can’t be the last one to the meet-up! That includes you too Sumire!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll have enough time. If anything, we’ll probably be the first ones there.” Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he checked the time to see they still had 50 minutes left before shifting his attention to Sumire, who still had her back against him. “Hey Sumire, it’s about time we get going.”

He watched her turn around to face him and Futaba, taking note of the pout and the slight blush that was present. ‘She’s probably still embarrassed about earlier.”

Sumire made her way to Akira and wrapped her arms around his arm with the pout still there. “Akira-senpai.” She grumbled as the trio started to walk to the station.

“Yes, my dear Violet?”

“All this teasing will come back to bite you. I hope you know that.”

“Ooh-ho-ho! Sumire’s ready to fight!” Futaba sang as she heard the threat. “I’ll be in your corner rooting for you!”

“Why thank you, Futaba-senpai!” Sumire chimed.

“Ugh! What did I say Sumire!”

“S-Sorry Futaba-san.”

“We’ll see about that.” Akira chuckled as they continued to make their way to the station, barely noticing his school bag shaking. Not long after, Morgana popped his head out of the bag.

“Huh? We’re still here!? What have you guys been doing the entire time!?” Morgana asked the trio with irritation, who only responded with laughter until Akira spoke. 

“Nothing really. You should probably get back to your nap. Don’t want to pay for the pet fare you know?” 

“Fine. I guess I’ll see you guys when we get to Shibuya then.”

And with that, the small group traversed their way to the station, waiting patiently until they reached Yongen-Jaya, where Futaba decided to head home real quick to get a spare phone battery upon arrival while Akira and Sumire walked to Leblanc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, this chapter wasn't a part of my original plans haha. It was actually supposed to be a short interaction between the small group before they made their way to the station (which is the next chapter), but I felt with how the story is planned out it had to be expanded upon.
> 
> So yeah, more ShuSumi fluff with a little bonding with Futaba haha. Now how exactly will Sumire get her revenge on Akira? Only time will tell! Or not since the choice is yours. 
> 
> Once again, any feedback will be appreciated as long as it's constructive!


	3. Execute the Plan (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira, Sumire, Futaba, and Morgana meet everyone at the station, where shenanigans take place. A nice ride to Shinjuku follows right after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The word count keeps growing with each chapter lol.
> 
> Now, let's get this party started.

**2/1/2017 - Leblanc**

Sojiro greeted the couple upon their entry, giving them a smirk when he noticed Sumire holding an extra bag. With her cheeks beginning to flush, she made her way into the attic to drop off her belongings after getting permission from Akira to head up.

“Looks like she’ll be spending the night here if I’m not mistaken.” Sojiro commented with the smirk still present on his face.

“Y-Yeah.” Akira didn’t know how to respond to that. “With you-know-what around the corner, we kinda wanted to spend as much time as we could together just in case something happens.”

“No, I get that. Just… Promise me you’ll make it back after everything’s over okay? I know I said that last time, but now you’ve got a girl that you have to come back to no matter what.” He felt the sternness from Sojiro sink into him.

“Of course.” Akira accepted his words without hesitation. “She’s the reason why we’re doing this after all. I’ll make sure she’ll be able to live in a future where she can live as herself, for herself. And I’ll be there, with her every step of the way to watch her reach her and her sister’s dream of reaching the top of the gymnastics world.”

Sojiro cackled from Akira’s resolve. “I don’t know what that means entirely, but I’m glad to hear it. Just make sure the shop stays in one piece, got it?”

“C’mon Boss, you can trust us.”

The bell rang at the entrance of the quaint cafe, where Futaba greeted the two, ending the small conversation. Not long after, Sumire emerged from the stairs.

“Alright! Let’s get going people! The evening awaits us!” Futaba excitedly exclaimed as she waved to Sojiro.

“C’mon Akira-senpai! We have to be the first ones there right?” Sumire happily added to Futaba’s farewell as she grabbed Akira’s hand and dragged him to the door. 

“That’s the spirit Sumire! Don’t be a slowpoke Akira!”

“R-Right…” The amusement present in both Sumire and Futaba puzzled him. ‘They seem awfully excited for some reason.’ Though their behavior raised some questions, he chose to ignore them as he remembered something. 

“Wait I still need to change!” He let go of Sumire’s hand and ran up the stairs to quickly change out of his winter uniform. Less than 2 minutes later, Akira ran down the stairs wearing a black turtleneck sweater underneath a long gray jacket accompanied with dark blue jeans.

“Oh! Boss, we're heading to Kichijoji with everyone!” He felt bad for lying to Sojiro, but it was the only thing he could say to not raise any suspicions. He could already imagine the wrath he would give him and Futaba for going to such a place if he found out. 

“Alright. You kids enjoy and have fun.” With a wave of his hand, Sojiro watched the group leave the cafe.

**2/1/2017 - Shibuya Station**

To their surprise, they found everyone already there. 

“I didn’t expect everyone to be here already.” Morgana voiced his and Akira’s thoughts. 

“Heh heh what was that about being the first ones here?” Futaba looked at Akira and laughed at him, which was soon followed by Sumire joining in the laughter as she held his hand.

Akira groaned. “I blame both of you.”

“But Akira-senpai, we weren’t the last ones to get ready.” Sumire said with a playful tone as Futaba nodded her head in agreement.

“Is that so? I remember a certain _someone_ dragging me out of Leblanc before I had the chance to change.” He gave a few pokes to her waist. She tried to suppress her laughter, but ultimately failed.

“H-Hey! S-Stop it!”

“Oh-ho what’s this? Sumire’s ticklish you say?” The devilish grin appeared on Futaba’s face as she turned to face the couple.

“N-No! I’m not!” Sumire tried to deny the accusation, only for Akira to double down.

“Her waist is her weak point. I found out when I tried to wrap my hand around it when we were watching a movie and she jumped waaay more than usual. She said it was because she wasn’t expecting it, but-”

“A-Akira-senpai! You can’t just talk about those things like that!” Sumire began to blush from how casually he brought it up. “A-And don’t believe him Futaba-senpai! He’s lying!”

“Mweheehe! Looks like I know how to stop you from calling me senpai now!” Futaba poked Sumire’s waist, laughing maniacally as she watched Sumire squirm.

“P-Please stop! I surrender Futaba-sen-”

“No way! Saying please or surrendering ain’t gonna stop me!” 

Futaba continued to poke Sumire’s waist until she used a different honorific. Even though it still wasn’t casual enough to her liking, Futaba stopped much to her dismay. Sumire then looked up at Akira with a pout for sharing her ticklish spot. His response? He poked her waist multiple times, causing her to laugh until she buried her face into his chest to escape her own laughter and embarrassment. As Futaba comforted Sumire from what she endured, Akira looked on ahead to see where everyone was.

From the looks of things, Ann, Makoto, and Haru seemed to converse among themselves by the ticket gate while Yusuke observed the people walking around them. Around the corner, where they were barely out of sight from everyone else, were Ryuji and Akechi, who seemed to be having an argument of sorts. 

“Huh, maybe that’s why the girls are over there.” Akira said unknowingly out loud.

“Hmm? What was that senpai?” Sumire looked up at Akira, having calmed down from her suffering with Futaba’s assistance.

“Oh it’s nothing, just talking to myself. You should go meet the girls and Yusuke with Futaba and let them know where we’re going. I’ll go and tell Ryuji and Akechi.”

“Okay! Let’s not keep them waiting anymore Futaba-sen- Umm, Futaba-san!” Sumire said as she let go of Akira’s hand and ran to the other girls.

“Wait for me Sumire! And that’s some progress but could be better!” It didn’t take long for Futaba to catch up to Sumire and start mingling with the other girls before she started to poke fun at Yusuke. 

‘Alright, time to see what these guys are talking about.’ Akira approached the two, with their dispute getting clearer the closer he got.

“What was that!?” He heard Ryuji yell towards Akechi.

“Oh you didn’t know?” Akechi scoffed as he smirked at Ryuji’s response in amusement. “The real Captain Kidd was publicly executed. They left his body hanging there for years on end.”

“Dude, I did not need to know that!” 

“Shouldn’t you stop them?” Morgana whispered. With the way things were going, it became obvious the two could end up fighting in Mementos. Would it have been cool to watch? Probably, but now wasn’t the right time.

“H-Hey guys.” Akira inserted himself into the conversation. 

“You’re late Kurusu.” Akechi stated rather coldly, wearing a green vest over a white-collared shirt all of which was underneath a brown coat that was paired with blue pants and his signature black gloves.

“Yeah dude where the hell were you!?” Ryuji looked Akira in the eye, who wore a blue jacket over a graphic red sweatshirt with a camo-patterned scarf and black pants. It was easy to tell he waited for what seemed like a very long time. “It was just me and Akechi that got here first! I hated the awkward silence, so I talked about all the calling cards we sent since he seemed to like ‘em back then. I showed him the first one we made and he just laughed at it!”

“It was as if an impulsive child scribbled any words that looked ‘smart’ from a dictionary.”

“Yeah, sorry Ryuji, but he’s kinda right. Our first one wasn’t really that great…” Akira felt bad agreeing with Akechi. He knew what Ryuji was trying to say, but it honestly could’ve been better. At least it got the message clear to Kamoshida since that was all that mattered.

Ryuji grunted in defeat. “It’s fine. Anyways, we started talkin’ about our Personas and stuff, where he decided to give me a friggin’ history lesson! Like c’mon man! Why do I need an effin’ history lesson on my Persona for crying out loud!”

“But you weren’t aware how the historical figure your Persona takes attributes from died. Or was I wrong and your reaction was just a bluff?” 

“Dude, just shut up!”

“A-Alright let’s just try to calm down. I think we’re all here now so we should probably-”

“What! Everyone’s already here?? Since when!?” 

“It appears that while Sakamoto was engaging me with his antics, everyone else arrived without our knowledge.” 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Akira sighed in annoyance. “Yusuke I can understand, but-”

Suddenly, Akira felt someone’s arms wrap around his waist from behind. He didn’t need to know who it was, evident from the red sleeves that came to view. He looked over his shoulder to see a river of red hair, feeling her head, especially her glasses, pressed into his back. 

“Umm, is everything okay Sumire?”

He felt her exhale and shift her head around to speak. “I told you it wouldn’t work Ann-senpai!”

On cue, he watched Ann walk up to all of them, specifically toward him as she inspected his face. She was wearing a black leather jacket over an orange and purple plaid shirt with faded ripped jeans. Around her neck was a red scarf and a pair of earmuffs.

After analyzing his face for a few seconds, she let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, unfortunately you’re right Sumire.”

“Lady Ann!” Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag with Ann returning a greeting.

“Uhh, so what’s this all about?” Akira looked at Ann with a lot of confusion.

“Yeah Ann, why’d you have Sumire grab him out of nowhere?” Ryuji couldn’t help himself from asking the same thing. “And why the hell didn’t you tell us you were all here!?”

“Sorry Ryuji, it looked like you and Akechi-kun were having a conversation we didn’t want to be a part of. And well, you see-” Ann started before Sumire cut her off.

“Ann-senpaiwantedtoseeyouactlikeearlier!” 

While he could give Ann and Sumire props for effort, Akira opted to make fun of them at their failed attempt. “Like that’s going to happen any time soon.” 

“We should probably get going since we’re all here.” Morgana added as he pointed to the travel schedule. “It says the next subway to Shinjuku should be here in about 10 minutes, so we should probably go now.” 

“I knew we were going to Shinjuku.” Ryuji muttered.

“Perhaps the red-light district is too mature for your liking?” Akechi gave a sly grin in Ryuji’s direction.

“Urrgh.”

It didn’t take long for them to walk to the ticket gate. Akira was able to turn around with Sumire still behind. As he tried to take a step forward however, he was stopped when she squeezed her arms around him.

“Hey Sumi, I know you’re embarrassed, but-”

“Who said I was embarrassed?”

“Huh?”

“I never said I was embarrassed senpai.” Sumire giggled mischievously, making her grip around his waist even tighter so he wouldn’t be able to move from his spot.

“But we’ve gotta-”

“Nope! We’re staying right here!”

“But the subway arrives in 10 minutes!” 

“Then we’ll stay like this for 9.”

“What! But PDA Sumire!” He did his best to pry her hands off of him, only to find himself being held onto tighter. ‘Is this really the strength of a gymnast!?’

“But I’m only hugging you from behind, Akira-senpai.” As the words escaped her mouth, her grip tightened ever more slightly from the satisfaction of using his own words against him. Akira felt his cheeks flare up. Despite enjoying the moment, it was definitely awkward for him to have his girlfriend hold him in place at the station of all places.

“W-Wha-”

The moment Sumire heard Akira stutter, she knew she got him. “Futaba-senpai! It worked!”

“Gah! Sumire! I thought we had something goin’! Fine then, if tickling won’t work, you leave me no other choice! As your senpai, you will now address-” Futaba walked around the corner from the ticket gate before pointing fun at the sight of a flustered Akira being held in place. “Heh heh heh well what do we have here? Hey Ann it happened! Get over here before you scan your pass!”

“Ugh Futaba! You can’t just call me right when I’m about to- Oh. My. God.” Ann stood at the entrance of the ticket gate, bearing witness to Sumire holding Akira completely still. 

“H-Hey Ann.” He had no other words left to say. All he could do was watch Ann walk up to him and inspect his face again, paying close attention to the now apparent blush.

“Yes! I can’t believe you guys actually pulled it off!” She high-fived Futaba and gave Sumire’s head a few pats.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Akira hung his head low when he put two and two together. “Since when?”

Even without seeing her, he could tell Sumire had a huge smile. “Ever since we left my house and you challenged me and Futaba-senpai!”

“Sumire!”

“Sorry! Uhh, Futaba-san!”

“Anyways, that’s right! And it worked!” Futaba was practically jumping up and down at this point. “As I was walking to Leblanc to meet you guys, Sumire sent me a text about the plan and it was too good to pass up! We told Ann about it since she seemed the most interested out of everyone else, who suggested for Sumire to act embarrassed so it was even more believable. Everything was perfect!”

“Sumire only told me about it when she said hi to me, Haru, and Makoto when you all got here. Speaking of Haru…” Ann took a few steps back and began to call someone over to her direction, who Akira assumed to be Haru.

He had to give Sumire and Futaba credit. He fell right into their clutches. Literally. However, there was something about being held in place by the person he loves the most that made this situation feel special in a romantic sense. He placed a hand on top of Sumire’s and gently grasped it. The sudden contact made her jump before she relaxed and moved one of her hands on top of his.

“Hey Sumire?”

“Yes Akira-senpai?”

“I love you.”

“I know.” 

“And?”

“I’m not going to say it.”

“What aren’t you going to say?” He wanted to see how far she would go before she said it back.

“…”

“You’re cheating, you know that!” 

All he got as a response was a giggle as she spoke again.

“I love you Akira-senpai!” She squeezed him even more, causing a small “oof” to leave his mouth from the even more tighter squeeze.

“If you guys keep this up, I think I might die.” Futaba gripped her chest as if she was in pain from what she was witnessing.

“Oh my! I didn’t think you would be this straightforward Sumire-chan!”

“Right! She really is the one perfect for Akira!”

Akira turned his head towards the direction of Ann’s voice, seeing that she brought along Haru. She was wearing a light pink, fur lined coat dress that was translucent below the skirt with a blue belt, finishing the look with maroon leggings with a white polka dot pattern, brown gloves, and a light purple beret. 

“H-Hey Haru.”

Haru walked up to Akira and did the same thing Ann did, studying the blush that was there, though it wasn’t as intense as when Ann saw it, before giggling.

“Ann-chan is right! You really should show this side of yourself more, Akira-kun. Seeing our leader act in such a way helps alleviate some of the negative thoughts and feelings we may have for the upcoming mission. Thank you for doing this Sumire-chan!”

“You’re welcome Haru-senpai! I’ll do this every time Akira-senpai needs help to relax so that he can show this side to everyone more often!”

“P-Please don’t-”

“Too late! I’m already doing it now so you’ll have to get used to it! It’ll be like this for the two of us, now and forever!” Unknownst to everyone, her face started to flare up.

“Awwww.” Ann and Haru both cooed from Sumire’s adorable words before directing their words to Akira.

“You better not break her heart Akira!” Ann commanded with a harsh tone to let him know she was dead serious.

“I agree. I wouldn’t want to see Sumire-chan sad after everything you two went through together, Akira-kun.” He found himself shuddering at the end of her statement. He wasn’t 100% sure, but it sounded _a lot_ more threatening than it appeared.

“There’s no need to have any worries!” Futaba interjected with Akira agreeing with her.

“Futaba’s right, you both don’t have to worry about that. Sumi will always be my one true love. Like she said, now and forever. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right Akira-senpai!”

“Awwww you two are just so cute!” Ann told the couple in glee.

“Ah! There you are.” The addition of a new voice caught the attention of everyone.

“Yusuke-kun? I thought you already scanned your boarding pass no?” Haru asked with concern, fully aware of his financial situation. Though money was really tight for the individual, he was able to own a grey-brown coat over a patterned dark blue, electric blue and black tunic shirt to keep him warm with a pair of black pants.

“I have not. Actually, as I was about to scan my pass, I noticed Ann dragging you around the corner. Makoto told me to retrieve the two of you and everyone else as the train will be arriving soon since she didn’t want us to be separated. And so, upon looking for where you both went, I bore witness to the raw emotion Akira displayed in that picture Futaba sent earlier. I was instantly mesmerized by the expression that was previously foreign to him. It just so happened I found you, Futaba, and Ann along the way. So thank you Sumire, I am in your debt.”

“Umm, thank you Yusuke-senpai?” Sumire wasn’t really too sure what to make of Yusuke’s appreciation.

“Don’t worry Sumire, Inari gets more tolerable over time.” Futaba reassured her, aware of how confused she was.

“What did you say!?” 

“Ah! Akira! Help me!”

“Sorry Futaba, Sumire still has me trapped.” 

“You’re on your own Futaba-sen- Erm, Futaba-san!”

“Then to the subway I go!” Futaba made a dash towards the entrance gate, scanning her pass and disappearing from sight before yelling back at Sumire. “And address me more casually!”

“Oh, that’s right. The train will be here in 2 minutes.” Yusuke added.

“2 minutes!?” Ann checked the time on her phone to double-check. “You should’ve told us that in the first place! C’mon! If we go now we’ll make it just in time!”

Yusuke, Haru, and Ann ran off into the distance, leaving only Akira and Sumire behind.

“Let’s not keep everyone waiting any-”

“But 9 minutes haven’t passed yet…” Even though she was joking at first, she really didn’t want to stop just yet.

‘What am I going to do with you.’ Akira thought with a smile. “I guess we can wait one more minute.”

Sumire responded by interlocking her hand with his. “…You’re the best Akira-senpai.”

“I know.”

“…Can you say it back?”

“...” 

“Senpaaaaai!”

“What’s wrong?”

“You didn’t say it back…”

“What was I supposed to say back?”

“…You’re just teasing me again…” 

“I can’t say it back if I can’t see you dummy.” Akira said playfully as he looked at the time. “And I think our 9 minutes are up.”

Begrudgingly, Sumire freed his waist from her grasp before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the ticket gate, making sure she didn’t make any eye contact with him. After scanning their passes and witnessing the train slow down in front of them as they got closer, they were met with an expecting Makoto, who had her arms crossed, and Futaba at her side. She was wearing a white sweater with a large turtleneck collar, brown leather gloves, a black skirt with black pantyhose, and a dark blue coat. 

“Where have you two been? I was worried that we wouldn’t be on the same train together and we would have to wait for the next one!”

“Hey I was held back against my will!” Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag to plead his defense.

“In that case, then where were the _three_ of you?” 

“Uhhh, take it away Akira!” And just like that, Morgana hid in his bag.

“S-Sorry Makoto.” He gave her a remorseful smile. “I kinda teased Sumire earlier so she wanted some payback… Isn’t that right?”

He squeezed her hand to get her attention since she was looking somewhere else before bowing politely. “Yes, that’s correct. My apologies, Makoto-senpai.” As she got up from her bow, Akira tried to look at her, only to watch her avoid his stare with a pout. 

“C’mon Makoto! All that matters is we’re here now! And you should’ve been there too!” Futaba made an attempt to ease Makoto, who just pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Don’t think you’re off the hook just yet Futaba.” 

“No please! Anything but that!”

“Yo! If you guys don’t get on, we’ll be leavin’ without yah!” Ryuji called out to the group of four as everyone else boarded the train. With Akira reminding Morgana to sit tight, the group made it into the subway and began to take their seats. Still noticing Sumire avoiding his eyes, he decided to sit a little further away from everyone so they could talk. As he moved by, he saw Futaba making inappropriate gestures and noises towards them, only to watch her get reprimanded by Makoto.

Once Akira led Sumire to a window seat, he noticed she closed her eyes and puffed up her cheeks. He brought his face close to hers to see if there would be any type of reaction. To his surprise, there wasn’t. ‘Wow, she _really_ doesn’t want to look at me.’ He recalled all of the things he said before they made their way to the train, coming to a conclusion he was certain of.

“Sumi, did you know I could kiss you right now without you even knowing?”

The unexpected question caused her face to burn red as she still kept her eyes closed and cheeks puffed. Not wanting to take that risk, she turned her head towards the window. 

Seeing that her other hand was on her lap, he grabbed it with his free hand. A soft smile found its way to his face when he saw Sumire jump a little in her seat, her face becoming even more red despite being adamant on not facing him. Shifting himself in his seat so it’s easier to face her, he placed both of their hands together, placing both of her hands on top of his. 

“Hey Sumire,” He lifted her delicate hands up, giving them a small kiss, “what’s wrong?”

The small gesture seemed to be her breaking point as she let out a deep breath she’s been holding with her cheeks turning more redder. She mumbled something very quietly, causing Akira to ask her again.

“…Dummy…”

Akira snickered as he found his conclusion to be coming true. “Sorry, what was that?”

“…I’m not a dummy…”

He couldn’t take it anymore. He chuckled until he wasn’t able to control himself from correctly deducing what was wrong. 

“Akira-senpai!” Sumire whined as she turned her head to face him, only to be welcomed with a kiss. ‘He did it again! How!?’

After backing off, Akira adjusted himself in his seat to how he’s supposed to be seated, looking at his girlfriend with a warm smile as he released one of their hands from the hold they were previously in. “I know you’re not a dummy, because you’re the best Sumire.”

Her eyes widened as the words melted her heart. Unable to help herself, she rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she listened to the train move along the tracks. “Thank you Akira-senpai.”

“You’re welcome Sumire.” Akira responded with a small squeeze from his hand, to which she responded with an even tighter one. Their contest of trying to one-up each other with tighter hand squeezes eventually ended in joy and laughter.

“Hey senpai, can I ask you something?” 

“Of course, my elegant princess. What would you like to ask?”

She giggled from the pet name as she felt her cheeks heat up. “Well my debonair prince-”

“W-What?”

“I-Is something wrong senpai?” The sudden interruption caused her to open her eyes and look at him. She couldn’t believe it. She saw him cover his face with his other hand in an attempt to hide the blush that formed from the pet name, trying to make sure no one else could see it. ‘Yes! I’m getting better at this!’ Taking advantage of the current situation, she kissed his cheek as she continued giggling from the sight of her flustered boyfriend.

With a sigh, Akira looked at his girlfriend, rosy cheeks meeting rosy cheeks. “So, what were you saying before I rudely interrupted?”

“Awe don’t say that senpai!” She hugged his arm. “But yes! Did you know, my debonair prince, that umm…” She found herself stumbling.

“…Yes?” 

“I-It’s just… D-Did you know I was only j-joking earlier? L-Like I wasn’t upset or anything when you called me d-dummy…” 

He couldn’t help himself from snickering at Sumire’s question. “I had a hunch, but I wasn’t entirely sure until after we sat down.”

“Ahh I see… I’m so sorry! I should’ve known it was a bad prank from the start!” Sumire felt ashamed as she bowed her head. 

“Sumire.”

“I know, it was in horrible taste! It seemed funny at first butIknewitwaswrong!”

“Su-”

“Ijustwantedtotryand-”

Sumire found her chin being lifted as Akira pressed his lips onto hers, again. ‘Ughhhh that’s three times today already! No fair!’ Being released from the kiss, she was welcomed with his infamous smirk as she tried to calm the intense blush that started to take form. It didn’t help that his grey eyes were looking directly into her red ones, making the blush even more harder to control.

“What was that about PDA Akira? Heh heh heh!” Akira turned his head to see Futaba making kissy faces and noises while Yusuke framed his fingers together aimed at him and Sumire. Speaking of Sumire, she made sure her face was hidden within her hair as she looked at her feet, still hugging Akira’s arm.

“Futaba! What did I say!” Makoto gave another stern warning to the quirky girl, who shrieked as she begged for forgiveness.

“Yusuke can you stop doing that! Give them some privacy for once!” Ann chastised Yusuke for his habit of appreciating the couple.

“My apologies, Akira and Sumire. Your love is too admirable for me to simply ignore.”

“No worries Yusuke.” Akira reassured his eccentric friend. “And I don’t think we mind. Sumi was just feeling a little down for what she did earlier so I tried to cheer her up.”

“Awe don’t feel bad Sumire! It was all fun and games right? I’m sure Akira deserved it too, after all the times I’ve seen him teased you.”

Sumire fidgeted in her seat as she lifted her head up to look at Ann, her blush still apparent. “T-That’s right Ann-senpai.” She then looked at Akira and tried to pout. “You deserved it, Akira-senpai.” Akira simply responded with a warm smile and a pat on her head, causing her to shy away once more.

“Hey man.” Ryuji began to speak with a dispirited tone as Akira directed his attention towards him. “I know you’re in a relationship n’ all, but can you at least try to not remind me how lonely I am?”

“Don’t worry Ryuji-kun! I’m sure you’ll find someone in your life eventually!” Haru made an effort in trying to raise his hopes up.

“Yeah Ryuji! There’s bound to be someone down the line who’ll want to be with you!” Ann chimed in, seemingly agreeing with Haru.

“Not if you put it like that.” Ryuji groaned as he slumped in his chair.

“I don’t mean to intrude on Sakamoto’s lonely love-life-” Akechi began before Ryuji barged in.

“Dude, you better watch it!”

“Anyways, we’ll be arriving in Shinjuku in around 10 minutes. I suggest everyone make sure they don’t leave anything behind.”

And just like that, Akechi killed the conversation that brought attention to Akira and Sumire as everyone began to have their own discussions, specifically Makoto giving a lecture to Futaba on something about her behavior, the trio of Ann, Haru, and Yusuke wondering what exactly they’ll be doing once they reach their stop, and Ryuji and Akechi getting into another argument. Using this odd opportunity, he continued the conversation they had earlier.

“Hey Sumire?”

Sumire grumbled in his direction. He flashed a grin upon seeing her pout become something more playful as he poked her waist, causing her to jump.

“A-Akira-senpai!” 

“Now that I have your attention-” Before he could continue speaking, Sumire decided to have her own fun and poked his waist in retaliation.

“H-Hey! What do you think you’re doing!”

“It’s not fun if I’m the only one that’s ticklish, Akira-senpai.” Her playful pout was replaced with a smug grin as she continued to poke his waist.

“I’m not even ticklish there!”

“But your body language says otherwise!”

“You’re going to be crying before we get to Shinjuku Sumire!” 

“You’re on Akira-senpai!”

The two lovebirds continued to poke each other’s waists until they both bursted into laughter, catching the attention of everyone as they gave the couple warm smiles before they continued to their previous chats. Ryuji and Akechi were an exception, as they continued their argument without paying attention to what was going around them.

Having calmed down from their laughing fit, Sumire started back their conversation, leaning her head on his shoulder again. “What were you going to tell me senpai?”

Akira rested his head on top of hers, causing a short giggle to escape her. “Want to know how I was able to tell you were joking?”

She closed her eyes. “Yes please.”

“You were acting cute.”

Hearing that single word caused her eyes to open immediately as her face started to burn. “Senpai… If you keep calling me cute… I might get tired of it…”

“Oh? So you mean I should _stop_ calling you cute? Got it.”

“Senpaaaaai!”

“I thought you wanted me to stop calling you cute no?”

“I never said that…” She hugged his arm tight as she buried her face into the crook of his neck.

‘She really is too cute.’ Akira let out a light sigh from how adorable she’s been as a small smile grew on his face. “You’ll always be my cute Sumire, no matter what.” He turned his head to gaze at the river of red resting on his shoulder. “I’ll make sure you never get tired of it.”

Sumire knew what to do when she heard those words. She rose her head up from where it was with rosy cheeks and foggy glasses from the heat emanating off her face. She closed her eyes and prepared her lips for her prince, signaling him to do the rest.

Knowing what he had to do, he leaned his head down a few centimeters from her face. As he was about to press his lips onto hers, he snickered as he watched her get prepared for his spell. Wanting to have some fun, he kept the small distance between their faces, grinning as he noticed her get more restless the more the seconds ticked by.

Slowly opening her eyes, she was able to see, through her foggy lenses, the disgusting smug grin that belonged to her beloved. Paying close attention to the joy that was on his face, she decided she had enough. With a “hmph!”, she closed her eyes and turned her head towards the window, earning a chuckle from him.

“Sorry, it was too good not-”

Taking advantage of his lowered guard, she quickly turned her head and planted her lips onto his. A few muffles escaped from his mouth before he recollected himself and returned her kiss wholeheartedly. They stayed like that for a while, grabbing the attention of Futaba when she saw them having her moment. Unfortunately for her, Makoto grabbed her phone before she took a picture, keeping it until they reached their stop.

As they parted, they couldn’t help themselves from laughing.

“You’re getting better at that Sumi, with all that teasing you’ve done today.”

“I only learn from the best, who happens to be the person right next to me.” She giggled as she released his arm and wrapped her arms around him entirely, giving him a tight squeeze while she placed her head on his chest. “Looks like your heart’s beating pretty quickly, eh senpai?”

“Well, my chest is being used as a makeshift pillow until we get to Shinjuku by my cute girl-” The sudden tight squeeze upon hearing that word from said girlfriend caused another “oof” to leave him as he ached in a little pain.

“Every time you use that word… I’ll hug you tight like this… And I’ll keep making it tighter and tighter… Because I want you to know… To remind you… How much I love it when you call me cu-cu-cu-”

“Cute?”

Again, Akira ached in a small amount of pain as Sumire squeezed him more.

“C-Can I make a r-request?”

Akira gave a pat on her head as he grunted from how tight he’s being hugged. “Of course my love.”

“P-Please, don’t stop calling me that.”

A smile grew from the request Sumire gave him. “Remember what I said before we kissed? I’ll make sure you never get tired of it.”

“…Tired of what…?” 

“You _really_ want me to say it huh?”

The only response he got was a light giggle.

“Alright.” He chuckled to himself, giving in to her game. “I’ll make sure you never get tired of me calling you cute.”

And just like that, she tightened the hug even further, causing another groan of pain to escape his mouth. ‘You’re too cute Sumire.’ Echoed in his mind.

Recovering from the pain known as love, Akira noticed everyone getting ready to leave their seats. He looked at the approaching station and noticed they have finally reached their destination: Shinjuku.

Giving a few pats to her head, Sumire looked up at Akira before he spoke. “Time for us to leave. Unless you want Futaba to make fun of us again.”

Very reluctantly, Sumire released him, allowing him to stand up from his seat. He reached out a hand to her, to which she happily laced her fingers around his. Walking out of the subway with smiles on their faces, they were met with all of their friends waiting for them, minus Akechi as he stood by the stairs. Seeing the warm smiles from everyone caused Sumire to hide behind Akira to mask her self-consciousness as she began to blush. Akira then felt his bag jostle around, where Morgana popped his head out a few seconds later looking at everyone. With a small laugh, he wrapped an arm around Sumire, causing her blush to grow even more intense before telling everyone: “It’s showtime!”

Everyone groaned, much to his disappointment.

“C’mon dude. It sounds cool when we’re using the Nav and kickin’ ass, but it ain’t cool when you say it here and we’re not doin’ anything yet.”

“S-Sorry guys.”

Walking out of the station together, everyone took in the sight of Shinjuku, awaiting for Akira to lead them to their hangout spot for the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter really did not want to end when I was writing it haha. I found myself adding more every time I chose a good stopping point, as the chapter was scheduled to end with the gang reaching Shinjuku. I guess that's what happens with accidental chapters since I mentioned in the previous one that these were supposed to be one chapter altogether.
> 
> Anyways, they've finally reached Shinjuku! All will be revealed in the next chapter! Hopefully it satisfies everyone lol.
> 
> Btw, why is it so fun to write ShuSumi fluff? The conversation on the subway between the two of them wasn't in the original plans but it just felt great to add haha. There is also a small Thieves Den easter egg present in the middle so have fun if you spot it!


	4. Expect the Plan to Go Off the Rails

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip to my 3-day update schedule that I accidentally made lol. I apologize for the lengthy chapter! Though it probably could've been broken up at one point, I felt like I would've been dragging the story. Also, I'd say this is one of the most important chapters, hence why it took a while to write (curse the beginning).
> 
> Listening to Fukashigi no Carte (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl ED/Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl ED) really helped the creative juices flow during the final stretches.
> 
> Please be sure to read the end notes!
> 
> Now, let's get down to business.

**2/1/2017 - Shinjuku**

Gazing at the sight that is Shinjuku’s red-light district from exiting the station, Akira remembered how dangerous it would be for them to wander off on their own. Well, minus Akechi since he seems capable of handling himself. 

“Let’s try to stay together.” Akira told his friends as he grabbed Sumire’s shoulder and pulled her in really close, causing her to “eep!” lightly. “Sorry Sumi, but you’re not leaving my sight.”

“I-It’s okay, I-I understand…” Sumire slowly spoke before trailing off, her face turning a vibrant red hue from how quickly she was pulled. “B-But I think it’s b-better if I do this…” 

As the words left her mouth, she wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her head on the crook of his neck, giving him a tight side hug. “T-This way, your eyes w-will always be on m-me…” 

“Uhh, S-Sumi-” 

“W-We can w-walk like this, r-right Akira-senpai?”

Akira didn’t know what to do. All he did was tell Sumire he’s keeping his eyes on her so she doesn’t get lost. Sure, there was a little teasing, but that’s beside the point. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if she was trying to tease him, if she was frightened of separating from everyone, or if she was unknowingly acting cute. What he did know was the blush that began to take shape on his face, fully aware that all of his friends could see it. He turned around to see Ann and Haru giving them loving glances while Futaba had her devilish grin.

“Heh heh looks like Shinjuku’s the perfect place for PDA, right Akira?” 

“She’s just giving me a hug Futaba!” 

“Mhmm, a very _intimate_ -” Makoto interrupted her by pulling her hoodie over her head.

“Gah! Makoto! I can’t see!”

“Good. And that’s how it will be until we get to the spot.” Makoto sighed as she stood behind Futaba to guide her through the red-light district. “I’m sure we’re thinking of the same place, right?”

Akira gave her a nod as his blush slowly faded, watching her slump her shoulders as she did her best to control Futaba’s flailing arms.

“Hmm? You know where we’re going Mako-chan?” Haru asked her fellow third year.

“Yes.”

“Umm, is there a reason why you’re acting all gloomy?” Ann questioned her friend’s attitude as an idea popped into her mind. “Don’t tell me it’s a host-”

“Nope! It’s not a host club!” She turned to see Akira frantically shaking his head. “I probably should’ve told you guys in the first place that we’re not going to any kind club tonight.” He let out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Oh okay…” Ann looked back at Makoto, still noticing that she’s feeling uneasy. “Wait, then how come you’re acting like you don't want to be here?”

“C-Can we just say that I had a bad run-in here and move on?” It was clear to Ann and Haru that Makoto didn’t want to bring up any memories involving the area they were in.

“Sorry Makoto.”

“I’m sorry Mako-chan.”

“It’s fine. Shall we get going then?” 

“Y-Yeah can we just go already!?” Ryuji cried out, grabbing the attention of everyone as he frantically observed the area.

“Hey Ryuji are you okay? You’re acting kind of different than usual.” Ann voiced her concern as she walked over to see what was wrong.

“I-It’s nothin’ alright?” The panic in his voice didn’t seem to help his situation as Makoto and Haru also began to show signs of worry. 

Morgana poked his head out of Akira’s bag almost as if he sensed Ryuji’s fear. “Don’t tell me you’re still scared because of _that_ time?” 

Ann, Makoto, and Haru found themselves asking about “that time”, only for Ryuji to yell back at Morgana.

“Zip it cat! I already said it’s nothin’!”

Morgana jumped out of Akira’s bag as he began to glare at Ryuji. “Stop calling me a cat like it’s an insult, you blonde ape! I’ve already accepted who I am! Maybe this trip will help you figure _that_ out!”

“Aargh! Why you!”

Ryuji and Morgana continued their petty fight, everyone fully aware they’ll get over it rather quickly. Using this chance, Akira returned his attention to Sumire while the girls monitored the scuffle just in case things got out of hand.

“Hey Sumire,” He called to her, running a hand through her hair, “are you feeling better?”

She gave him a simple nod, unknowingly tickling him when her hair rubbed against his neck. Hearing him laugh, she looked up to see him trying to control himself.

“Akira-senpai, what’s wrong?” She asked innocently, oblivious to what she did.

“It’s nothing, it’s just-” He made the mistake of looking at her. Seeing her red orbs behind her glasses stare into his gray ones with her rosy cheeks and her hair flowing down, surrounded by the night life of Shinjuku, overwhelmed his mind. ‘Why does she have to be so cute!?’ It also didn’t help that her lips were close enough to kiss him, causing the blush to return to his face with more intensity. 

“U-Umm, i-it’s just-”

Her innocent stare transformed into a smug grin once he started stammering.

Akira let out a very heavy sigh. “You’re joking, right?”

Sumire only responded by tightening her arms around his waist and giggling to her heart’s content as she closed her eyes in glee and victory. “You’re making it too easy-”

She was now the one that made a mistake. She didn’t see Akira meet her lips with his since her eyes were closed, stealing a kiss that stopped her mid-sentence. She opened her eyes immediately from the contact. ‘Nooo that makes it four!’ It didn’t take long for her to return the kiss, closing her eyes as she relished these small moments she’s had with her prince today.

Akira let the kiss linger for a few more seconds before backing away. “You’re getting more dangerous Sumi.” He chuckled lightly, staring into her red eyes once more while taking note of the vibrant blush on her cheeks.

Sumire, somewhat ignoring what he said, grumbled at his actions, resting her head on the crook of his neck again as her red pigment cooled to a light pink. “But you’ve gotten me four times already…”

“And you’ve gotten me twice, maybe three if you want to count the one on my cheek. Huh, actually, you could’ve made it three if you didn’t try to boast.” 

“Ughhhh you’re right!” She whined as Akira laughed at her, causing a small pout to take shape on her face. “And I thought I was getting better at teasing you too…”

“Don’t you remember me calling you dangerous?”

“Huh?” Sumire lifted her head to look at him, baffled by his words prior to remembering he really did say that a few seconds ago. “Oh yeah, right. Umm, can you please explain what you meant by that senpai?”

“W-Well, it’s just, umm…” Akira wasn’t able to process his words correctly. Hearing him stumble brought a warm smile onto Sumire’s face as she kissed his cheek. The unexpected kiss, as well as his somewhat uncomposed mental state, caused him to look at her. Much to his surprise, he was greeted with her lips coming into contact with his. ‘Oh no, she really is getting dangerous.’

“C’mon senpai, I thought _I_ was supposed to be the cute one in the relationship.” She triumphantly giggled as she studied his flustered condition from having gotten him with her double-kiss combo.

“But you _are_ the cute one-” He felt her arms tighten around his waist as he continued to speak with her expecting eyes staring into his. “A-Anyways! By dangerous, I mean h-how you’ve been teasing me p-pretty well today. I never imagined you’d be able to learn how to tease me this quickly.”

“Don’t you remember what I said after we left my house?” She stood on the tip of her toes as she whispered into his ear: “All this teasing will come back to _bite_ you.” 

Hearing those whispered words made Akira’s entire body tremble, unable to discern if she was trying to be threatening, flirtatious, or both. As he recomposed himself, he noticed Sumire looking at him with a smile so genuine, yet smug, that it melted his heart. It didn’t help that her face was an extremely deep shade of red, most likely from how embarrassed she felt upon saying those words the way she did, that made the entire act even more cuter. 

“AHEM!”

Akira and Sumire turned their attention to Akechi when he cleared his throat, who coincidentally also garnered everyone else’s attention.

“I don’t believe our destination for the night is at the entrance of the red-light district, Kurusu. So if you’re finished flirting with Yoshizawa-san, I’d like my time to not be wasted any longer.” 

Sumire hid her shame from Akechi singling them out by hugging Akira tightly, making sure her hair kept her flared cheeks hidden as she buried her face along his neck. 

Akira, meanwhile, ran a hand through Sumire’s hair as a way to calm her down again. “Y-Yeah sorry. It’s only a few shops down so it’s not that far of a walk.”

“Dude, why are you even here again?” Ryuji asked Akechi as his quarrel with Morgana ended, with Morgana landing back into Akira’s bag after climbing from Ryuji’s shoulder and jumping off of it.

“I said I’ll entertain myself for the evening last night, didn’t I? If this proves to be a waste of my time, I’ll gladly leave.” 

And just like that, Akechi started walking ahead, annoying Ryuji even more.

“What the hell’s his problem! He doesn’t even know where we’re goin’!” 

“It’s fine. Like I said, the place is only past a few shops down. He’ll probably make a guess and stop in front of it.” Akira told him as he continued to run his hand through Sumire’s hair.

“I mean, I guess? We might as well start going too then since you said we should stay together.” Following Ryuji’s suggestion, everyone began to walk until Ann spoke up.

“H-Hey guys…” Everyone looked at her, somewhat worried from how apprehensive she was. “Where’s Yusuke?”

Everyone’s eyes (minus Futaba since hers were still covered by her hoodie and Sumire as she still kept herself hidden from Akechi’s call out) widened in shock as they searched around them, unable to find where their eccentric friend was.

“You don’t think-” Ryuji began before the wild flails of Futaba’s arms caught his attention, asking Makoto to pull down her hoodie.

“Ahhh I can see again!” Futaba exclaimed as she straightened her hoodie and fixed her beanie. “That was rude Makoto!”

Makoto rubbed her index and middle finger along her temple in an attempt to alleviate an upcoming headache. “It seems like you have something you want to tell us.”

With permission to speak, Futaba tapped both of her index fingers together as she laughed nervously, already aware of the outcome her words would bring. “S-So I may or may not have told Inari to look for a hostess club to help with his art back in Shibuya…”

Akira allowed the others to voice his thoughts, as he kept his focus on running a hand through Sumire’s hair.

“For real!?”

“Futaba! Why would you do that!? You know Yusuke would actually listen and take it seriously!”

“You should be ashamed of yourself Futaba-chan!”

“Futaba… I don’t even know what to say anymore.” Having ended her statement with much disappointment, Makoto grabbed Futaba, ignoring her apology for now as they made their way through the red-light district in hopes of finding Yusuke. Ryuji, Ann, and Haru followed after them to help with the search while Akira, Sumire, and Morgana stayed back.

“Umm, shouldn’t we follow them too?” Morgana asked, slightly troubled. “It would be really bad if we actually lost Yusuke you know.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll go join them with their search after I ask Sumire something.” Akira told his partner as he shifted his attention to the person of his interest. “Feeling better Sumi?”

She gave him a simple nod, once again making him laugh as her hair rubbed against his neck. “I knew it! You’re ticklish along your neck!”

Her random comment caused Akira to burst out in laughter. “You say some of the cutest things at the most random times, you know that?”

“I’m sorry Akira-senpai, did you just say what I think you said?”

“Uhh-”

A tight squeeze with an accompanying giggle interrupted his train of thought as he grunted.

“I take that as a sign that we should start moving?”

“Umm, n-not yet…” Letting go of his waist with one of her arms, Sumire grabbed the arm draped over her shoulder and moved it to where his hand now rested on her waist, all before hugging his waist again. “T-There… N-Now I’m ready… T-That way, your e-eyes will be on me while m-making sure I stay in your a-arms…”

Akira was shocked by how direct she’s been ever since they got here. Maybe she was still frightened of getting lost or the mature atmosphere put her in the mood to be more daring? Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for him to take advantage of the situation, as the position of his hand made it very easy to poke her waist.

“H-Hey! A-Akira-senpai! S-Stop! H-Help!” Her cries fell on deaf ears as Morgana watched with a smile as his companion continued to tickle her before going back into his bag. She writhed in laughter until she started poking his waist, only stopping when he finally decided he was done.

“Hmph! You’re a big meanie Akira-senpai!” Sumire pouted as she tried her best to calm herself from the tickling she endured. “I let you wrap your arm around my waist and all you do is poke it…”

“S-Sorry Sumi, you kinda made it hard for me not to do it…” Akira kissed the top of her head. “But with that out of the way, let’s go catch up with everyone else.”

For receiving a kiss on her head, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Yes! Umm, I’ll let you lead the way, if that’s okay with you senpai.”

With a smile, he took his first step while giving her waist a small pinch. If it wasn’t for Akira wrapping his arm further around her waist, Sumire would’ve tripped as she jumped following her first step. 

“You’re such a liar senpai!” Sumire pouted again, with her face turning an intense shade of red as she continued to chastise her boyfriend. “You even said you were done! Aargh I can’t believe you!”

For the first time since they’ve dated, Akira felt guilty for teasing her. He slouched as he apologized for his actions, only getting grumbles before receiving a peck on his cheek. He looked at her, who was already avoiding his gaze with her face still flushed.

“I-I’ll let it slide… J-Just this once… But if you ever do that again… Just know… I can definitely tease you now… A-After all… I said all your teasing will come back to b-bite you…”

Akira couldn’t help himself from smiling after hearing her comment, regardless of how threatening it sounded. “I understand. I’ll be looking forward to it.” He took another step while moving his hand back to where it originally was on her waist, only to freeze when Sumire squeezed him.

“Sumi?”

“I never said you could move your hand…”

Listening to her words, he moved his hand to where his arm encased her waist, causing her to “eep!” from, in Futaba’s words, the _intimate_ contact.

“R-Ready Sumi?” Akira asked, studying her reaction to make sure she was ready with how their arms were tangled around each other as he tried to calm the heat going to his face.

“I-I am senpai. I-I’ll follow after you.” Sumire nodded, doing her best to make sure she didn’t accidentally tickle his neck with her hair. It didn’t work as she heard him chuckle, causing her to smile and relax further in his grasp.

During their small walk, Akira cautiously looked around to make sure his friends didn’t miss Yusuke by accident, eventually passing Chihaya’s empty table. He reminisced about the time he spent with her, glad he was able free her from the ADP’s clutches. 

“Akira-senpai?” Sumire asked as they kept on walking.

“Yes, my dangerous princess?”

Of all the (insert adjective) princess/prince pet names they gave each other, this new one made her laugh heartily. “I wanted to see what kind of new name you could think of, my wild prince.”

“Wild huh? Now I wouldn’t go _that_ far.” Akira chuckled at that idea. “I’ve actually been meaning to ask you something though.”

“I’m all ears senpai!” 

“When you first hugged me, after I pulled you close, did you plan that? Like was that all part of your plan to tease me earlier?”

He got a giggle and a squeeze as part of her answer. “What if I told you it was after I heard Ryuji-senpai and Morgana-senpai fight?”

“Oh?” He found himself even more intrigued by her question as they passed the flower shop with their friends barely in sight.

“W-Well a-actually…” Sumire mumbled, not paying attention to how tightly she squeezed Akira, as he let out an “oof!” she didn’t quite catch. “Umm, I w-was actually scared senpai… My family told me… How someone c-could just snatch you out in the open here… A-And force you to work for them…”

Akira gave her a very cautious and gentle squeeze, making sure she doesn’t jump from his comforting gesture. “I’m so sorry Sumi. I didn’t know-”

“N-No it’s okay!” She interrupted him as she continued her reasoning. “I was only scared at first, but after you told me we would be going to a safe place last night, my fears were gone. I-It’s just… I found myself getting scared again from all of the people here… B-But that wasn’t until I h-hugged you like this senpai…”

Akira stopped walking despite their destination and their friends being a few meters away. He looked at Sumire as she continued to talk with a soft red coating her cheeks, not questioning why he chose to stop.

“W-When I’m hugging you like this… I don’t feel scared anymore… It’s as i-if all my worries in the world are w-washed away… A-And that’s b-because… I feel safe when I’m in your arms, Akira-senpai…” 

She found her chin being lifted for the third time today. She knew this time, however, that it wasn’t because her beloved wanted her to meet his eyes. No, the way he gently lifted her chin felt different, almost as if he wanted her to trust him in what followed next. And so, that’s what she did. 

Sumire closed her eyes as she awaited her prince to take the lead. It didn’t take long for Akira to lean his head down and touch her forehead with his, taking note of how prepared her lips were to become enchanted. Without a second thought, he placed her under his spell again, making sure she understood that he would always keep her safe from the simple act of pressing his lips onto hers. They remained like that for a while, having no care for the people that were forced to walk around them.

Unfortunately, Akira tightened the arm that was around her waist, causing Sumire to jump as she let out a few muffled shrieks. He released her from the kiss, apologizing for what has essentially become tickling without her consent. Rather than feeling the wrath of an upset Sumi, he was welcomed with her own variation of the spell he put her under; she released one of her arms hugging his waist and cupped his chin as she lifted herself up to reach them.

‘So this must be how she feels when I do this…’ He took mental notes as Sumire let him go, returning her to arm to where it previously was while staring into his eyes. They continued to stare at each other until Akira’s bag shuffled.

Morgana popped out of the bag and looked around. “Huh. I thought we’d be there already.”

“Sorry Morgana-senpai!” Sumire bowed her head slightly at the cat leaning over Akira’s shoulder. “We may have taken our time walking to the place Akira-senpai has been talking about.”

“No worries Sumire! I’m positive Ryuji or Makoto were able to get everyone there safe and sound.”

Remembering they were barely in sight when they stopped walking for their moment, Akira looked on ahead to see if anyone was aware of their presence. Sure enough, he saw Futaba waving her arms to grab their attention. Much to his relief, Yusuke was standing there with them.

“Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.” Akira told the two as he pointed to Futaba. “Hope you’re ready for some teasing Sumi.”

“Umm, senpai, you forgot something.”

“Hmm? What did I… Oh, you’re right.” He gave her lips a peck. “I love you Sumire. I’ll always keep you safe.”

She smiled as they continued their walk. “I love you too Akira-senpai. Thank you for protecting me.”

Shockingly, Futaba didn’t tease the both of them. In fact, the entire mood felt… Off… 

“Umm, guys…” Akira broke the ice. “Is everything okay…?” 

“I guess I’ll explain.” Akechi began to speak, earning him a questionable look from Akira. “As I followed the directions you gave, I noticed Kitagawa attempting to enter a hostess club. Aware that he was still a second-year student, I convinced the persistent hostess that he was still a minor, all while creating a facade that he was an associate I was meeting late at night.”

“That is indeed correct.” Yusuke continued from where Akechi left off. “Not long after, we heard Makoto and Futaba, where she was forced to make an apology to me. It was then Makoto gave Futaba a lecture and threatened to tell Boss about tonight if she continued to behave the way she is currently.”

Akira shuddered at that thought. “Y-You don’t mean that, right Makoto?”

She gave him a sorrowful look. “Only if she doesn’t control herself. You got that Futaba?”

“Yes Makoto…” Futaba muttered as she also shuddered at the thought of being the target of Sojiro’s anger again.

“There’s more…”

Akira looked at Ryuji as he groaned. “No… Don’t tell me-”

“Wait no! That ain’t it!” Ryuji frantically cut off Akira’s train of thought. “Actually, now that I think about it, it ain’t that bad-”

“Ryuji! Ugh, maybe not for you but it was for me!” Ann yelled as she began to tell Akira what happened with annoyance. “As we followed Makoto and Futaba to search for Yusuke, a host tried to invite me to his club…” 

“I’m so sorry Ann-senpai!” Sumire let go of Akira’s waist as she bowed.

“It’s okay Sumire. It’s no one's fault really since I kinda had a feeling it would happen…” She let out a sigh as Haru finished the story.

“If it wasn’t for the interference from Ryuji-kun and I, Ann-chan might have been taken away.” 

“Y-Yeah. Good thin’ Haru scared the guy away…” 

“What do you mean by that Ryuji-kun?”

“N-Nothin’! Anyways, ain’t this the place? I only remembered the area, but Makoto knew exactly where it was.” Ryuji pointed his head towards an alley illuminated with pink lights that had a door at the end.

“Yup! This is the place.” Akira looked at everyone, giving them a nod before holding Sumire’s hand and taking a few steps towards the door. “Crossroads.”

He held the door open for Sumire, who gave his cheek another kiss for being a gentleman. He was going to keep the door held for everyone, but Yusuke insisted on doing it instead as he wanted to inspect the contents of said door. As Ryuji allowed himself to be the last one to enter, as a safety precaution in case any hosts tried to grab the girls, he heard two oddly familiar voices… 

“Can it be? That familiar spiky blonde hair??”

“Is that really him??”

“Gaaah!” Ryuji screamed as he pulled up his hoodie, not paying attention as he pushed Ann.

“Hey! Watch it Ryuji!” She looked over her shoulder to see his face covered in fear. “W-Wait what’s wrong??”

“N-Nothin’! Hurry up and close the door Yusuke!” 

“You seem to be acting very out of character Ryuji.”

“Can we just drop it?” Ryuji murmured as he pulled down his hoodie. 

**2/1/2017 - Crossroads**

“Oh, Honey! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you!”

Upon entry, Akira was greeted by Lala Escargot, who was checking the beverages and bottles behind the counter. His friends followed him in, taking in the sight of their hangout spot of the evening: a bar that was lit up with pink overhead lights and a single orange-yellowish light in the middle that had soft jazz music playing in the background.

“It’s great to see you again Lala.” Akira bowed as he began to look around. He was surprised to find it rather empty, with the only people being him and his friends. “Slow night?”

“You won’t believe it!” Lala groaned as she started wiping the counter. “No one walked in tonight, not even my regulars! I was bored out of my mind until you came along.”

“Umm, Akira-senpai…” Sumire pulled on his arm so she could whisper in his ear. “Who’s this?”

“Ah, sorry about that.” He turned around to face his friends, who all looked at him in wonder (minus Futaba since she already knew). “This is Lala Escargot. She’s my boss when I work part-time here.”

The look on everyone’s faces, with the exceptions of Makoto, Futaba, Akechi, and partially Sumire, was priceless.

“For real!?”

“What! Since when!?”

“I do not understand. You are currently still under probation. How is it possible to take such a risk?”

“How come you never told us this, Akira-kun?”

Akira apologized, explaining how he worked numerous part-time jobs so that he could spend the money on their Metaverse supplies when they wouldn’t train in Mementos as cryptic as possible since they were in the presence of Lala.

“While I appreciate your actions, you could have asked me to help you with funds.” Haru gave him a gentle smile despite feeling a little helpless.

“I know, but it’s my responsibility as the leader to take care of the group.” Akira told her as he placed a hand on his chest to signal that she has nothing to worry about. 

Haru giggled at his comment before thanking him while Sumire hugged his arm.

“You’re so caring Akira-senpai.”

He gave her head a kiss as she hugged his arm tighter.

“So, Honey!” Lala’s unexpected call caught Akira’s attention, as well as getting everyone else’s. “Who are the people you brought with you tonight?”

“Right! So these are all of my friends. I’m sure you remember one of them.”

“N-Nice to see you again, Lala.” Makoto greeted her as she bowed, shocking everyone. She gave them a look that said “I don’t want to talk about it” when she rose from her bow. Everyone soon followed with their greeting, minus Akechi as Lala was already aware of who he was. Sumire didn’t have the chance to introduce herself as Lala spoke first.

“Mhmm. And who’s this Dear latched onto your arm?” She pointed at Sumire, causing her to shy away as her face began to turn red.

A warm smile appeared on Akira’s face. “She’s Sumire Yoshizawa, the person who will achieve her and her sister’s dream of reaching the top of the gymnastics world. She’s also the person I will spend all of my days with, until the end of time.”

Smiles formed on Ryuji’s, Yusuke’s, and Makoto’s faces as they were glad to know how happy she makes him feel even though it was pretty obvious while Akechi rolled his eyes. Futaba clutched her chest in “pain” again as Ann and Haru cooed “Awwww!” at the couple. And Sumire? Her red cheeks flared into the unknown shade of red from earlier in the day as she greeted Lala.

“That’s c-correct… I’m S-Sumire Yoshizawa… A-Akira-senpai’s… G-G-Girlfriend… And I also… W-Want to spend… All of m-my days… Withhimuntiltheendoftime!” Saying those words caused her to grip Akira’s arm more tightly, much to his discomfort from the pain but joy from her love.

“Awww you two are so adorable!” Lala complimented the couple as she watched Sumire shy away again. “Hmm, tell you what. Since it’s already empty, I’ll close the place up just for you and your friends tonight. I’ll serve the drinks, all on me by the way, so you can just hang out.”

“W-Wait Lala!” Akira was caught off guard by her very generous offer. “A-Are you sure? You don’t have to-”

“Oh, don’t worry Honey!” Lala cut him off as she got a sign ready to place outside the door to signal that the place was reserved. “Think of it as a ‘thank you’ for everything you’ve done when you worked here and for helping out Ichiko! Now, you kids go get seated. There are booths in case some of you don’t want to sit at the counter. I’ll be back as I hang this outside.”

Akira was at a loss of words. He didn’t expect him serving drinks and helping out Ohya to get this kind of result. He gave a respectful bow to Lala for her generosity, earning a laugh as she walked around the counter. Remembering about Morgana, he asked her if it was possible to let his cat hang out with them, where she told him he could as long as he controlled himself.

Following her suggestion, everyone began to get situated as Lala went to the door. Akechi, Akira, Sumire, Yusuke, and Futaba sat at the counter while Ann, Makoto, Haru (with Morgana as she insisted on him sitting with them), and Ryuji (who was disappointed as the girls called him to sit with them too) sat at one of the booths.

As Lala went back to the counter, she walked up to Ryuji as he stood by his seat.

“Has anyone told you that you’d look great in drag, Hon?

“Yeah, I’ve heard.” Ryuji muttered as he slumped in his seat.

Satisfied with her answer, Lala went back to the counter as she started getting the drinks ready. Meanwhile, Haru and Ann were surprised about Ryuji’s answer.

“What was that Ryuji-kun?” 

“Is there something you should be telling us, Ryuji?” Ann asked playfully, watching him grunt in his seat.

“What part of ‘Don’t wanna talk about it’ don’t you understand!?” 

“H-Hey Ryuji, mind helping me with the drinks?” Makoto’s request for assistance was his saving grace from the humiliation Ann would give him if she were to find out.

As he stood up, he saw Morgana trying to tell Ann and Haru what happened. He immediately told Morgana to stop, having more venom in his words than usual. Taking note of this, Morgana decided to change the subject as a means to not have Ann and Haru question what happened, for now at least.

With Makoto and Ryuji waiting patiently, Lala gave them a total of eight drinks to bring back to the booth as she began to serve those seated at the counter. With his drink in front of him, Yusuke examined his surroundings.

“This place is certainly different from Leblanc in terms of atmosphere. It doesn’t feel as homely, but it has piqued my curiosity from its mature standing.” He took a sip from his glass as Futaba listened to his monologue. “It seems this place has helped me with some inspiration after all.” 

“Akira!” Yusuke shouted his leader’s name as he rotated in his chair to face him, accidentally scaring Sumire since she was sitting right next to him. “My apologies Sumire for the sudden scare.”

“I-It’s okay Kitagawa-senpai.” She spoke as she felt Akira lean in behind her to get closer to him.

“What’s up Yusuke?” Akira asked as he took note of Sumire’s growing blush from how close his head was to hers. “S-Sorry Sumi.”

Sumire answered with a nod before leaning back into Akira’s arms, surprising him and Yusuke. “Don’t drop me now, Akira-senpai.” 

Feeling his cheeks heat up, he looked at her to see she had a small smile on her face. He gave her head a kiss, causing her to giggle, before going back to his conversation with Yusuke.

“It has come to my attention that you haven’t invited any of us here prior to today’s evening. Why is that?”

Akira could only give him a sheepish smile. “It never crossed my mind that anyone would’ve wanted to come here because of where it is.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Wait Akira!” Futaba joined the conversation as she gave Yusuke a slight nudge so she could see Akira, grinning at Sumire before returning her attention back to him. “Does Sojiro know you work here!?”

“W-Well I, umm… Technically it’s only part-time as I’ve mentioned earlier…” Akira wasn’t sure how to answer her question since he never thought about telling Sojiro after being trusted to wander out of Leblanc at night. “He might be upset if I told him now though…”

“Ehhh, I wouldn’t sweat it. He did give you the keys to the cafe early on so he does trust you after all!” Futaba gave him a supportive smile before smirking at him. “Like how he’s trusting you to be with Sumire. Alone. At night.”

“F-F-Futaba-san!” Sumire adjusted herself in her seat as she stopped leaning on Akira.

“I know you didn’t call me senpai, but can you address me more casually?”

“That’s besides the point!” She took a deep breath before she continued as a way to calm the blush that started to deepen. “We’re just going to be sleeping!”

“Well, we’ll most likely be cuddling and kissing before we go to sleep, maybe watch a movie too if we have time.” The comments from Akira ruined her attempts to calm her deep blush, opting to look down on her chair to avoid the teasing. Chuckling at what he did, Akira wrapped an arm around her shoulder, helping her calm down.

“Mhmm, sure.” Futaba gave the couple one more nod before changing the topic. “Lala! Can I get one more drink for me and Inari!”

“Hmm? Why of course Dear!” Lala ended her brief discussion with Akechi before whipping up another beverage to both Futaba and Yusuke, giving them a total of two drinks each.

“I challenge you Inari, to a-” 

“I decline.”

“What!? WHY!?”

Yusuke observed the two glasses in front of him. “I’d rather watch the condensation come off these cups rather than drink them. Simply moving one would already ruin the symmetry Lala worked to perfect.”

Lala was about to say something, only to notice Futaba telling her he’s always like that.

“Heh heh then I guess that means you’re a chicken.”

“What did you say?” The petty insult caused Yusuke to change his focus from the two glasses to Futaba.

“You heard me Inari. You’re a chicken because you don’t wanna lose to a girl!”

“That’s preposterous!”

‘Yes! He’s falling for the bait!’ Futaba gave herself a mental high-five. “I guess that means you’ll just run away with your tail between your legs and-”

“That’s enough!” Yusuke shouted as he slammed a hand on the counter. “If you want to challenge me, then so be it! You will rue the day you lost to Yusuke Kitagawa!” He grabbed one of his glasses and drank it, Futaba watching in excitement as he set it back on the counter.

“You’re going down Inari!” It took some effort, but Futaba was able to chug her first cup. As she removed the cup from her mouth however, she already saw Yusuke with two empty glasses. “What! How!?”

“Lala! I require another glass! I must put this girl in her rightful place!”

“Coming right up Hon.” As she gave Yusuke his third cup, she looked at Futaba, who was gasping for air. “Are you feeling okay Dear?”

“Y-Yup! I feel fine! Just forgot to breathe!” Futaba coughed into her arm as she put her empty glass down. “I’m ready for round three Lala!”

Akira and Sumire only watched Futaba’s and Yusuke’s chugging competition for the first drink before letting them have their fun.

Sumire scooted her seat closer to Akira, wanting to rest her head on his shoulder after taking a sip from her glass. “This is a really nice place you brought us to Akira-senpai.”

“I’m glad you like it Sumi.” He took a few sips from his glass as he looked at how peaceful Sumire was. “It’s a safe place right?”

“It really is! Can you tell me how you started working here?”

“There’s actually a pretty funny story behind it.” Akira briefly told Sumire how in order to get information on the mafia back in mid-June, he met with a reporter named Ohya here. In exchange for the boss’s name, Akira agreed to give her information on the Phantom Thieves sporadically. Coincidentally, this helped them with their palace infiltrations, as their positive press helped lower the security levels from the palace rulers. During one of his visits, he noticed she wasn’t here. Not wanting to make his journey amount to nothing, Lala offered to have him work part-time.

“Honey, you skipped out an important detail.” Lala sternly told him as she walked over to Futaba and Yusuke to give them another glass.

“Hmm? What does she mean?”

“Oh…” He knew what Lala was implying. “Well, there was a time I kinda had to act like Ohya’s boyfriend to save her from her boss…” 

“O-Oh…” It hurt him to see Sumire’s downcast eyes again after he told her how he acted like Makoto’s boyfriend during the summer. “When was the l-last time you saw her?”

“It was back in December. Like I said, I only met her sporadically. And it was only acting! Lala can attest me to that.”

“He’s right Dear, he didn’t do anything with Ichiko when I was around, which I made sure was 90% of the time. Well, more like I forbade Ichiko to do anything with him since he’s a minor.”

“I see…” Sumire looked down in her seat as she cupped her glass with her hands. “I f-feel weird… Like I know you only acted as Ohya-san’s boyfriend… But I can’t help but get the same feeling I had when you told me you acted like Makoto-senpai’s-”

Akira cut her off by enveloping her in his arms. He gave her a very tight hug, causing her to stutter from the abrupt contact as her face lit up in red.

“A-Akira-senpai? W-W-What’s wrong-”

“You’re such a dummy Sumi.” He released her from the hug, keeping one of his hands on her shoulder while he used the other one to cup her chin. “It seems you forgot, huh?”

“F-Forgot what senpai?”

He leaned in closer to her face, close enough to bump each other’s glasses. Seeing his face this close to hers, even though there were many moments like this today already, fried her mind as she felt her face begin to burn even more.

“I-I-um-you-”

“You say the same thing every time you’re like this, you know?”

“W-Wha-”

“You have nothing to worry about, because those times were never real to me. It was only real when I was able to call you mine, Sumire.” He leaned his face even closer to hers, taking note of how cute she’s gotten from how red her face was. “Even when I helped them out, you were always on my mind as the person I wanted to be with the most. Why? Because you stole my heart ever since I laid my eyes on you.”

With everything said and done, he placed his lips onto hers to convey his undying love. This simple action caused Sumire to remember how much emphasis Akira put whenever he would tell her she’s his one and only, widening her eyes from this realization before closing them as she kissed him back with the same undying love. It only lasted for a few seconds, but that was all the time they needed before they stared into each other’s eyes again.

“I love you Sumire.”

“I love you Akira-senpai.”

“You two are so precious!”

The sudden compliment from Lala caused both lovers to burst into laughter.

“Thank you Lala-san.” Sumire bowed her head.

“Oh Dear, you don’t need to do that! I just wanted to make sure Honey here told you everything. I wouldn’t want him to keep any secrets from a sweetie like you.”

“Y-Yeah. Thanks Lala.” Akira gave an off-hand remark. “I don’t think it was necessary though since I’ve said multiple times that it was all an act, remember?”

“Oh I do remember. But you’ve gotta tell your girl _everything_ for the relationship to work, even if it was just acting.”

Akira sighed as he hung his head. “You’re right Lala.”

“C’mon Akira-senpai!” Sumire hugged his arm tight as she leaned into him. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did… But somehow, you always know what to say. And for that, I’m h-happy that we’re not a-acting and I get to c-call you m-mine.”

Taking notice of how her bright attitude changed to somewhat reserved, he pinched her nose. As she scrunched her face, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in, causing her to smile as she rested in her prince’s arms.

“It looks like you two are really perfect for each other.” Lala told the couple as she poured more drinks for Ryuji and Makoto, who had slightly worried looks on their faces for some reason. After pouring them more drinks, she monitored Futaba’s and Yusuke’s duel.

“Oh! Akechi-san, you’ve been awfully quiet.” Having remembered he was here too, Sumire caught Akechi’s attention as Akira also turned to face him.

“I have no words to add onto the conversation about your relationship.” He took a gulp from his cup as Akira and Sumire looked at him. “The only comments I can provide, without causing any sort of arguments, is taking back our reality from Maruki.”

“You gotta learn how to lighten up.” Akira chuckled, receiving a scowl from him. “By the way, why did you accept tonight’s invite? I know you said it’s because you’ll entertain yourself, but I feel like there’s something more to it.”

“As I suspected, that front wouldn’t get past you.” Akechi took another gulp from his cup before speaking again. “With my days numbered, I decided to spend them how I wished. So you can view my participation in tonight’s activity as something along the lines of that.”

“What do you mean by numbered days, Akechi-san?” Sumire asked, only for Akira to answer her question.

“Remember how we defeated the God of Control on Christmas Eve?” She nodded as she listened intently, still saddened she wasn’t there to help them. “After everyone went their separate ways, Sae gave me a visit and asked if I could turn myself in to the police as a means to provide sufficient evidence for Shido’s crimes. As I was about to accept, Akechi walked up to us and offered to take my place instead, confessing to all the crimes he did under Shido’s name.”

“Akechi-san! You did that? As in taking the blame instead of Akira-senpai?”

“That I did. All because he kept his end of the deal to change Shido’s heart.” As he finished his sentence, he noticed Sumire giving him a bow. “Yoshizawa-san, is something the matter?”

“Thank you, Akechi-san!”

Both Akira and Akechi looked at Sumire as she continued to speak.

“If you didn’t turn yourself in, then I would have kept on living as Kasumi. I was only able to remember who I am because of our first infiltration in Dr. Maruki’s palace, which wouldn’t have happened if Akira-senpai was taken away.” 

She rose from her bow as she wrapped her arms around Akira’s arm. “If it wasn’t for what you did, then I wouldn’t have been able to come to terms with these f-feelings I’ve had for the l-longest time and confess my l-love to Akira-senpai.” She felt her face become hotter, regardless of the amount of times she’s shared her feelings for Akira with someone else.

“So thank you, Akechi-san!” She bowed again, also bringing Akira down with her. 

“She’s right you know.” Akira spoke as he sat himself up from Sumire’s bow, giving her a small pat. “Whether you like it or not, you’re part of the Phantom Thieves. And if it wasn’t for the deal we made at the start of the year, then everyone could have still been stuck in their false realities as I might not have had the drive to free them.”

Akira took a sip from his glass before looking at him. “So thank you for turning yourself in last year, Goro.”

Hearing his name certainly surprised Akechi. He gave him a smirk after he took a sip from his own glass. “We did make a deal after all, Akira.”

Akira gave him an accompanying smirk in response as Lala approached the trio.

“Honey, we have a problem.” Having grabbed their attention, she points to Futaba and Yusuke, but primarily Futaba. “She’s been crying for the past minute. Something about her mother. I figured you would know what to do.”

Akira tried to stand up, only for Sumire to push him back down.

“Let me handle this Akira-senpai!”

“Are you sure Sumi? I could be there for moral support-” Sumire interrupted him by giving his lips a peck.

“Hey that’s cheating!”

Sumire giggled as she stood up. “I want to help Futaba-san this time. This chance could help me become closer friends with her, you know?

Akira gave her a warm smile, telling her that she and Futaba, based on how today went so far, are already close friends. He also warned her to be more casual with her, causing her to let out a spirited groan as she made her way to the other side of the counter.

As she got closer to Futaba and Yusuke, she noticed a few things. The first thing she took note of was the both of them drank a total of four glasses each, surprising her at how seriously they took their competition. She then looked over to Yusuke, who was framing his fingers around the four empty cups in front him while laughing cryptically. Knowing that this is something he would most likely do, she made her way to Futaba, who had her face huddled in her arms on the counter top.

Sumire rubbed a hand along Futaba’s back. “Futaba-san- Erm, F-Futaba. Are you okay?”

Having heard Sumire’s words, Futaba ceased her sobbing for a few seconds as she rotated in her seat to face her. As they made eye contact, Futaba began to cry again, hugging her tight.

“Sumire! I can’t believe you’re here!” 

Sumire hugged the quirky girl back, doing her best to comfort her. “I’ll be here to help you out, F-Futaba. You c-can count on me!” Though she was nervous, she pulled back from the hug as she noticed how red Futaba’s face was. ‘She must have been crying really hard.’

“Thank you, S-S-Sumire.” Futaba looked at her friend in the eyes, tears still running down her face. “I-I j-just miss my m-mom.”

Sumire gave Futaba another hug, this time more tighter. “It’s okay, F-Futaba! I feel the same way with Kasumi.”

“R-Really?”

Sumire gave her a nod, wiping the tears off of Futaba’s face with her sleeve. “I miss Kasumi every day. But even though she’s not here physically, there’s a place where she’ll always be, and I’ll always be able to see her there. I’m positive you’ll be able to see your mom in the same place.”

“W-Where’s this p-place?”

Sumire gave her a kind smile as she pointed at her own heart. For some reason, Futaba didn’t get the memo, as she raised an arm and poked Sumire’s chest, causing her to let out a small “eep!” as she got embarrassed from the unintended contact.

As her embarrassment died out, she shook her head and began to laugh. “Not my heart F-Futaba. That’s where Kasumi is. Your mom is right here!” She pointed at Futaba’s heart as the words left her mouth.

She couldn’t contain her laughter when she watched the quirky girl look down and poke her own chest. “M-My mom will a-always be h-here?”

“That’s right! As long as she’s in your heart, she’ll always be with you and you’ll be able to see her!”

“Oh Sumire!” Futaba leaned forward and gave her a big hug, sobbing again but in joy. “Y-You’ll be the best sister I c-could ever ask for!”

“Thank you F-Futaba- Wait, d-did you say sister!?” Sumire found herself confused as she returned the hug, slightly turning red as she knew what Futaba was insinuating.

“Thaaat’s right! When you marry Akira, you’ll be my sister!” Futaba giggled, a huge smile forming on her face as she pointed directly at Sumire.

“M-M-Marry!?” Sumire’s face turned even more red from her confirmation. “I m-mean, I would l-love to m-m-marry Akira-senpai, b-b-but it’s too soon to think about!”

“Heh heh, I know.” Futaba waved a hand in front of her face as she grabbed Sumire to wrap an arm around her shoulder. “Tell you what, I’ll let you become my best friend if you chug two glasses with me!”

“Umm, a-are you sure? I feel like we should t-talk more before we become best friends-”

“Sumire don’t be a killjoy!” Futaba shook her a little as an attempt to ease her hesitation. “Lalaaa! We need six drinks stat! Two for me, my new best friend Sumire, and Inari!”

“You dare challenge me again!?” Yusuke shifted his attention from the cups he’s been focused on to Futaba. “Very well, I shall accept, for the glory of art!”

“That’s the spirit Inari!” Futaba shouted as Lala gave the three their drinks. “I hope you’re ready, Sumire. Because if you lose, then you’ll neeever be my best friend!”

“W-Wait Futaba-san-”

“NOPE!” Futaba covered Sumire’s mouth shut. “Juuuust Futaba.”

“U-Umm, Futaba-”

“You did it Sumire! Nooow just keeep that up forever!”

Sumire looked to Akira for help, unsure of what she should do since Futaba is acting more different than usual. Receiving a supporting smile from her beloved, she smiled as she prepared herself for what comes next.

“I’ll make you eat your words Futaba!” And with that, the group began to chug their drinks, with Sumire having a significant lead.

With the situation regarding Futaba solved, Akira returned his attention back to Akechi, smiling as he got to witness the friendship between Sumire and Futaba develop without the need of his presence.

“In case it isn’t clear, I don’t regret any of my actions. What’s been done can’t be changed.” Akechi stated coldly as he stared at his cup.

“I know. But as long as you return to police custody when this is over, all of us will accept that.” Akira raised his cup towards Akechi’s direction.

Understanding his motives, Akechi chuckled before raising his cup towards Akira’s. They clinked their glasses together, downing their drinks before setting them back down on the counter.

“H-Hey man…” Ryuji catches their attention as he apologizes for taking Sumire’s seat and for intruding on their conversation.

“No worries man. We actually just finished talking. Sumire’s with Futaba so you’re-”

“That’s actually why I came here…”

“Oh? Why what’s wrong?”

Ryuji pointed in the direction of where Sumire, Futaba, and Yusuke were. Instantly grabbing their attention was the cup pyramid that was set in front of Yusuke, who looked like he was trying to draw it… On an invisible canvas? Unsure if Yusuke was just being Yusuke, Akira switched his focus to Sumire and Futaba as Ryuji and Akechi critiqued the pyramid.

While he was happy to see Sumire and Futaba acting friendly with each other, something felt… Off… He leaned in his chair a little, making sure he didn’t invade Ryuji’s personal space, to study their interaction. He took note of how comfortable they’ve gotten with each other rather quickly as they had an arm around each other’s shoulders while laughing at what could most likely be jokes. 

He did notice one glaring issue, which was also apparent with Yusuke: their faces were red. 

From all the memories he’s had with them, none of their faces ever became that red with the exception of Sumire’s. Even when her face was red, she never acted like this. He was about to make a comment regarding their behaviors before Ryuji interrupted him.

“There’s more too…” Ryuji then pointed to the booth where he was previously at with the other girls.

Preparing themselves, Akira and Akechi looked over to see multiple empty cups on the table, mainly in front of Ann and Haru. From how far they were sitting, it looked like Ann was crying on Makoto’s shoulder as she hugged her uncomfortably tight. They then saw Haru, who was petting Morgana but more aggressively than normal. It appeared she whispered something into his ear, as a few seconds later he shrieked. Akira then looked at their faces. Sure enough, Ann’s and Haru’s were completely red.

“I don’t know what the hell’s goin’ on.” Ryuji looked back at all the empty glasses in front of everyone who had red faces. His eyes suddenly widened as he connected the dots. “Did they-”

“Hey, umm, Lala!” Seemingly coming to the same conclusion as Ryuju, Akira called Lala to their side of the counter.

“Yes Honey?”

“I know you wouldn’t do this, but you didn’t happen to-”

“You’d be damned if I were to give alcohol to a minor.”

“R-Right… Sorry Lala.”

“No worries Honey. I could understand the concern, but I only served soft drinks tonight.” Lala took a quick glance from what’s currently happening around her. “However, this is new to me.”

Ryuji scanned the room again as he leaned on the counter to speak with everyone he was with. “You don’t think they got drunk off of just being here, right?’

“I take it you’re talking about alcohol placebo?” Akechi’s answer earned him nods from Akira, Ryuji, and Lala. “People can surely get swept up in the moment, but it’s nothing like actual intoxication. If you really think you’re drunk, you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”

Akira and Ryuji took another look at everyone, making eye contact with Makoto. She gave them a remorseful smile as the two boys slumped in their chairs, realizing what Akechi said was unfortunately true.

“You don’t have to be a jerk about it.” Ryuji’s dejected tone hit Akira hard as they heard Akechi scoff.

“Maybe we should leave…” Akira tried to stand from his seat only for Lala to shake her head.

“There’s no need for that Honey.”

“A-Are you sure?”

“For real!?”

“Mhmm!” Lala gave the two boys a supportive nod. “You and your friends are safer in here for the meantime since they could get snatched pretty easily, considering the way they’re acting right now. It’s also something I’ve never seen before so I can’t help but find it captivating that high school students can’t handle a mature environment! Oh, but if something breaks I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Got it?”

“Y-Yes Lala! Understood!” Akira and Ryuji said simultaneously to her delight.

“I’m going to go check on Sumire and Futaba.” Akira excused himself as he started walking over to the two girls.

Aware that he got closer to them, Sumire let go of Futaba’s shoulder, jumping onto her beloved. “Aki-senpai! I missssssed you sooooo much!”

“I missed you too Sumi- Wait, what?” Akira had to take a moment after catching her. ‘Did she just call me Aki-senpai??’

“What’s wrong Aki-senpai?” Sumire looked up at him, leaning into his chest for some support. “You didn’t give me a kissssss…”

“Huh? Oh. Sorry Sumi, I didn’t know you wanted-” His sentence was cut off when she pressed her lips onto his, giggling as she successfully broke him for an instant.

“Yessss! I’m nooow in the lead for surprise kisssses!” With her arms still around him, she gave him a really tight squeeze as part of her celebration.

“Nooooo! Sumireee you’re still down one I think!” Futaba muttered as she tugged on Sumire’s coat. “Give him two more and theeen you’ll be in the lead!”

“Okaaay Futaba… Clooooose your eyes Aki-senpai! And nooooo peeking!” Sumire said playfully as she booped his nose with her index finger. “If I catch you peeking, then no more kisssses!”

With his mind still fried from the new nickname, not entirely sure if she’ll remember it at all, he closed his eyes to not upset her. He felt two pecks before Sumire gave him permission to open his eyes, being welcomed with a third one accompanied with more giggles.

“Hah! I tricked you Aki-senpai! Futaba look! I’m winning! Woooo!”

“Heh heh! She gooot you good Akira! Woooo you did it Sumireee!”

Watching the way how Sumire and Futaba interacted with each other brought a smile onto Akira’s face, glad that he was able to witness them become close friends like they wanted, even if they aren’t acting like their usual selves. He gave Sumire a congratulatory pat on the head as she hugged him tighter.

“Hey Sumire, can I-”

“Sumi.”

“What?”

“Suuumi. Call me Sumi!” She buried her face into his chest as she leaned even more into him.

“Umm, hey Sumi-”

“Akiii-senpai!” 

‘Even when she’s like this, she’s too cute!’ Akira mentally screamed before regaining his composure. “H-How come you called me A-Aki-senpai?”

“Oh Aki-senpai, now you’re the dummy!” Sumire giggled as she released Akira from the hug, lowering him to her height as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“It’s not faaair if I’m the only one that has a nickname.” She pressed her forehead against his, staring closely into his eyes. “You call me Sumi aaall the time, so you’re Aki-senpai! That waaay, we’re both cute! Unlesss you don’t like it…” She averted her eyes from his, gazing at the wall as if she knew his answer wouldn’t be one she likes.

“N-No I love it Sumi! I l-love it when you c-call me… Umm, A-Aki…” He could already feel his cheeks turning red from calling himself Aki. No one, not even anyone from his hometown, ever called him Aki, until now. Of course it had to be the most beautiful, special, and important person in his world to call him that, not that he was complaining or anything. 

He closed his eyes, already awaiting for her to steal a kiss from his confession due to how close their faces were. A few seconds passed and there was still no contact. ‘She must be looking at the wall still…’ He opened his eyes to see where her eyes were. For a split second, he swore he saw her with a mischievous grin before she kissed him. ‘Oh no, she’s even more dangerous like this.’

“Yesss! I got you again Aki-senpai!” She wrapped an arm around his waist as she asked Lala for more beverages. With a stern warning regarding how she has to put a limit to what they drink, Lala readied nine more glasses. 

Motioning for Akira and Futaba to get a cup after reaching for her own, Sumire made a proposal for a toast as she rose her cup in the air.

“Me and Aki-senpai are doing this for Kasumi! Right, *hic* Akiii-senpai?”

“R-Right Sumi! For Kasumi!” Anxious laughter was the only thing Akira could add besides raising his cup.

“A toooast?? Then this is for my mom!” Futaba jumped up from her seat, clinking her cup with Akira’s and Sumire’s. “You’re *hic* in my heart!” 

“I too, shall join in as I want to dedicate this delectable beverage to my mother!” Yusuke grabbed a glass as it joined everyone else’s. “Despite not remembering her as much as I should, she birthed me into this world! She will forever *hic* have my gratitude!”

“Allow us to join as well!” Akira looked over his shoulder to find Haru, holding Morgana, and Ann approaching them as they also grabbed a glass each. “For my father!”

“For Shiho! Even though she’s alive, but still!” Aware that some of them were still missing, Ann looked at Makoto, Akechi, and Ryuji as she wiped some tears from her face. “Heeeey you guys! Join *hic* ussss!”

Knowing there isn’t a way out of this, the three of them grabbed a glass before saying their dedications.

“Umm, for my father…”

“...I guess this will be for my mother.”

“For my mom? I guess? This is weird.”

“Hey! What about me!?” Morgana felt left out as he was still being carried by Haru without anything to drink.

“Hush Mona-chan!” Haru moved her hand from his underbelly to cover his mouth. “You aren’t *hic* allowed to drink any of this stuff!”

“It’s just a regular soda…” Ryuji mumbled, fully aware that the message won’t get through to them.

With Sumire insisting him to take the lead, Akira yelled “Cheers!” with little enthusiasm. Everyone followed after him, clinking their glasses together before downing their drinks.

After placing their glasses on the counter, Akira, who had Sumire hugging his waist, and Ryuji watched Ann go up to Lala and ask her for something. Watching Lala laugh from what Ann said, she reaches underneath the counter to grab… Chopsticks?

“H-Hey Ann… ” Ryuji called their friend as she got a marker from Lala. “ What’re you doin’?”

“Oh you knooow, writing.”

“Umm, writing what?” Akira felt even more confused as he watched her write on the chopsticks.

“Nuuuumbersss.”

“C’mon Ann! Just tell us what you’re doin’ for cryin’ out loud!” 

She giggled as she picked up all the chopsticks and displayed them to the two boys. “We’re gonna plaaaay…”

“…Play what?” 

“The King’s Game!”

“Huh? The what-”

“WHAT!?”

The sudden scream caused Akira and Ryuji to look for the source, very shocked to find it came from Akechi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You thought this was just an ordinary wholesome ShuSumi fic, but it was I, the King's Game!"
> 
> Yup, you heard that right. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a King's Game fic! Expect to see a new title within a few days before the next chapter is posted, which is probably going to be Thieves' King's Game or something along the lines of that, unless someone suggests a better title lol.
> 
> Just a few words before I start talking about this fic. Makoto's reluctance to being in Shinjuku is because of Tsukasa. I wanted to make that clear in case it was questionable. As for Akira telling Sumire about how he acted as Makoto's and Ohya's boyfriends... I feel that if Akira wants to be the best person that deserves to be with Sumire, he has to tell her mostly everything. Even though he was indeed acting, it would've hurt his conscious to know that he was hiding something behind her back. Sorry if that part kind of felt out of place.
> 
> Also, for those that have watched Oregairu, I mimicked the scene of Iroha whispering into Hachiman's ear when Sumire did that with Akira lol.
> 
> Okay, now that's out of the way, let's talk about this fic.
> 
> Remember how I said this was originally a one-shot turned into a short story in the first chapter? Well, that one-shot was the PTs playing the King's Game haha. The inspiration mainly came from: 
> 
> Persona 4's King's Game  
> Thieves Den dialogue said when in Crossroads with Akechi, Yusuke, and Ryuji  
> Deathmanstratos's fic (Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms - Chapter 23)  
> violetranger's fic (Within Arms Reach - Chapter 18)
> 
> I did my best to keep it cryptic as possible to surprise you all, though I think only 1 person was able to see where it was going (intenzity9 - Persona: Worlds Under War/Identity Thief). If I was wrong, then you got a free shout out lol. But yeah, I already have plans for what certain people will be doing (won't point out who's the King), definite examples being:
> 
> Morgana  
> Akechi  
> Akira and Sumire (they're paired up)
> 
> So yeah, thank you for tuning in thus far! And I apologize if this is a direction you don't support as this was always the intended direction.
> 
> Shoutouts to the following wonderful people:
> 
> some1upoyo: A Lifelong Fan in Me - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25433350/chapters/61683034
> 
> Dev0ted: The Wish for Control - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510076/chapters/59167783 and Aftermath of the Game - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25192981/chapters/61057279
> 
> TheGangstaGandalf: Royal - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24090436/chapters/57984490
> 
> Theroonco: Persona 5 Royal: Golden - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25032718/chapters/60622087
> 
> Light1108: Faith and Connections - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24286285/chapters/58537675 and Friends - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25840450
> 
> Sutakitsune: See You Again - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25845349
> 
> Light_Sumire: Renegade - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24782095/chapters/59926366
> 
> MrzGrumpy: Echo of the Forgotten - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981250/chapters/60478747
> 
> ShrugFace: Royal Rivals: The Quartet - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24695260/chapters/59683288
> 
> Deathmanstratos: Lotus, Violet, and Cherry Blossoms - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24211450/chapters/58325074
> 
> violetranger: Within Arms Reach - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25015480/chapters/60574558
> 
> intenzity9: Persona: Worlds Under War - https://archiveofourown.org/works/24203536/chapters/58302934 and Identify Thief - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25244140/chapters/61194667
> 
> Lucky_Se7en: Same Faith, Different Fate - https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029088/chapters/60612721
> 
> Special thanks to Lucky_Se7en for beta reading, even though I gave it to him to read as a sneak preview as he was the only one on the discord channel at the time lol.


	5. Throw Away the Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the game can be played, a few problems arise. Or in other words, the calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't like how I would've gone a week without an update, so here's a small chapter with some drunk antics! Sorry for not having this be "the" chapter, but as I was finishing round 1 and rereading what I had so far, I felt like it would've made more sense to separate the beginning part (this update) and the game (next update). 
> 
> Also, new title since the secret's out! Woooooo!
> 
> Now, onto what lies ahead.

**2/1/2017 - Crossroads**

Akira couldn’t believe the situation he and his friends were in. He, wanting to fulfill his beloved’s request, just wanted to spend a nice and peaceful evening with everyone before their upcoming final battle. Conscious of how they all had enough darts and billiards for the next two weeks, he invited them to Crossroads, keeping it a secret as some sort of surprise. Little did he know he was in for a few surprises himself.

First of all, the fact that Sumire, in the span of a single evening, was able to come close to matching his level of teasing in this brand new game they’ve created today gave him mixed signals. While it was a treat to see the lengths she would go just to make him blush, the extent to what she would do left him astonished and a little afraid. Luckily, he still has many tricks up his sleeve to leave her breathless as she attempts to control the neverending red on her cheeks for weeks on end. He had to remind her how he will always be the winner of this game, right?

Second, he didn’t anticipate for half of his group to get drunk from just being in a bar. Sure, it gave a different vibe than Leblanc, but that was exactly the reason why he brought them to Crossroads. Akechi’s and Lala’s words echoed in his mind during his moment of reflection of the night since they got here:

“…it’s nothing like actual intoxication. If you really think you’re drunk, you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”

“You’d be damned if I were to give alcohol to a minor… I can’t help but find it captivating that high school students can’t handle a mature environment!”

If it wasn’t for Sumire hugging his waist, remembering their words would’ve caused his current guilt trip to become much worse. Giving her a pat on the head, she giggled and nuzzled her face into his chest. He had to contain his laughter from how cute she was, offering a kiss to her head to make her stop.

“Akiiiiii-senpai!” She met his eyes with a wide grin, her face very red but not for the right reason.

“Yes Sumire-” He got interrupted with a kiss. 

“Call me Sumi, Aki-senpai!” She placed both of her hands on his face, smooshing it as she spoke in a way that made it easy for him to copy. “Suuuuuuumi!”

“R-Right… Sorry Sumi-”

“Not Sumi, Suuuuuumi!” She raised herself up and leaned into him, causing him to rest his back on the bar counter to not fall over, making sure he didn’t break any cups. “Say it like how I did, just this once! Pleeeease!”

“Suuuuuumi!” Despite making the nickname himself, he felt his cheeks begin to turn rosy as it felt awkward to say it how she wanted to hear it.

“You’re sooooo cute Aki-senpai!” She leaned back and returned her hands to his waist, hugging him very tightly as he regained his balance. “I love you soooooo much!”

A warm smile grew on his face as he answered back with an even tighter hug, listening to her giggle again as she squeezed him more and buried her face into his chest. “I love you too Sumi.” 

Finding a small amount of peace in what has become a hectic situation that he blames himself for, he restarted his reflection, looking back at the last thing he could remember before his intermission with the cutest person in the world. 

‘What was I thinking about again?’ He observed his surroundings until he saw Ann writing something on multiple pairs of chopsticks. ‘Oh yeah, _that_.’

“C’mon Ann! Just tell us what you’re doin’ for cryin’ out loud!” Ryuji shouted, already tired and annoyed from how secretive she tried to be from not answering his and Akira’s questions.

She picked up all of the chopsticks and showed them off to the boys, giggling with her face very red. “We’re gonna plaaaaaaay…”

“…Play what?”

“Theeee King’s Game!”

“Huh? The wha-”

“WHAT!?”

The sudden scream caused Akira and Ryuji to look for the source almost instantly, very shocked to find it came from Akechi of all people.

“Uh, dude are you alright?” Ryuji found himself feeling uneasy from the reaction their most distant teammate had.

“Y-Yeah… You s-seem to be shaking too…” Akira added, knowing this was a genuine reaction compared to when he heard Morgana talk back at the school festival. 

“What!? Oh… My apologies… I thought I heard Takamaki mention all of you playing the King’s Game.” Akechi’s attempt to play off his abrupt outburst failed, as the two boys continued to stare at him.

“Uhh, she did… And the hell you mean by ‘all of you’!? You’re playin’ too dammit!” 

“We kinda don’t know the rules-”

“Alriiiiight everyone! The chopsticks are *hic* reaaaaady! To the middle!” Ann commanded all of them, acting as if she heard Akira’s concern before cutting him off.

“Let’s go Aki-senpai! It sounds suuuuuper fun! And Futaba will be there too!” Sumire told him with an infectious smile, moving behind him so she could push him to the middle with her arms still wrapped around his waist.

Upon reaching the middle with Sumire, Ryuji, Akechi, and Makoto, they were greeted with a very giddy Ann, who was playing with the chopsticks she marked off. Around her was a wobbling Yusuke, who used a chair to prop himself up, Haru, who was still carrying Morgana in her arms and whispering things into his ear that caused him to scream, and an extremely distressed Futaba, who was peeking around Akira in hopes of finding Sumire.

“Watch this Aki-senpai!” Sumire said as she squeezed Akira before hiding behind him completely with her hands now clutching the back of his jacket.

“Akiraaaaaa!” Futaba made her way to him, frantically searching for Sumire. “Where’s my *hic* best friend!?”

“Umm-”

“Tell her I left!” Sumire whispered to him, doing her best to make sure Futaba didn’t see her just yet. 

“Sumire-” He was interrupted when Sumire pulled the back of his jacket, forcing him to lean back.

“Suuuuuuumi, Aki-senpai!” She rose herself up to his ear, kissing his cheek before hiding behind him again.

“Uhh, Sumi had to leave… ?” He did his best to sound convincing as possible, positive that he failed horribly from how pink his cheeks turned from her behavior. ‘Futaba had to see her after all that, right?’

Fortunately (or unfortunately? Akira couldn’t really tell), Futaba didn’t see her whisper into his ear, as she moved her eyes everywhere.

“B-But… She d-didn’t say byeeeee…” She began to shed tears for her best friend’s unexpected disappearance. “I didn’t g-g-get to say byeeeeee…” 

Akira peeked over his shoulder. “H-Hey Sumi, Futaba’s-”

“Hellooooooo… FUTABA!” Sumire shouted with glee, jumping from behind Akira with her hands in the air towards the quirky girl.

“GAAAH!” Sumire’s jump scare certainly got her, as she let out a scream that was similar to the one when she and Makoto scared each other back in the summer.

“Sumireeee!” Futaba ran up the little distance between the two of them, giving her a huge hug that could rival Akira’s. “You can’t leave without saying goodbye to your best friend!”

“I’m… I’m…” Tears began to form around Sumire’s eyes. “I’m *hic* so sorry Futabaaaa! I’m so horrible at pranks! I don’t deserve to be your best friend!” 

The two girls cried in each other’s arms, not caring about how they became the center of attention. 

Akira felt someone pat his shoulder, turning his head to see it came from Ryuji.

“Shouldn’t you do somethin’ about this?” 

“Uhh-”

“Akiraaaaaa!” Ann pointed a finger at his face, anger seemingly taking control of her. “You’re breaking Sumire’s heart! I warned you! And now Futaba’s crying too!” 

“Akira-kun, do we need to have a _chat_ about how you’re not only mistreating Sumire-chan, but how you’re also letting Futaba-chan cry?” Haru’s words sent more chills down his spine than usual. Was it because of the evil giggle she added at the end, Morgana constantly screaming in her arms, or how she became _way_ more scary when drunk?

It didn’t matter to him since he immediately grabbed Sumire with one arm and pulled her to his chest, causing her to release Futaba from her hug, while he gave a few pats to Futaba’s head with his other arm to comfort them both.

“It’s okay. It was all just a misunderstanding, right? There’s no need to cry.” He softly told the two girls. Hearing their sobs slowly cease gave him the confidence to not think too hard about the current problem. 

“Sumire, Futaba really missed you. She wanted to make sure you didn’t leave without saying goodbye. I’m sure she still sees you as her best friend.” He watched Sumire wrap her arms around him, giving him a tight hug as she mumbled something into his chest. 

“And Futaba.” He removed his hand from the top of her head to see her watching him very closely. “Sumire just wanted to have some fun and surprise you, kinda like how she surprised me in Hawaii. She did it to make memories with her best friend.”

“Oh Akiraaaa!” Futaba wrapped her arms around him and Sumire, doing her best in giving them a tight hug. “You’re the best brother I could ask for!”

“Aki-senpai alwaaaays knows the right things to say! Except he didn’t call me Sumi…” Sumire grumbled those last words as she puffed her cheeks in Akira’s direction before focusing on Futaba. “A-Are we still b-best friends?” 

“Of course we are Sumire!” Futaba released Akira as she used both of her arms to hug Sumire, who had to let go of him to return the hug. “We’ll be best friends first, and theeeeen sisters when Akira marries you!” 

Normally, Sumire’s face would have reached a very intense shade of red while she shied away from the conversation whenever she would hear herself marrying her beloved. However, her eyes widened from the realization of Futaba’s suggestion.

“Akiiii-senpai!” She turned to face him, beaming a smile that could kill. “Make me Sumire Kurusu so I can be sisters with Futaba!” 

‘DOES SHE NOT KNOW WHAT SHE’S SAYING RIGHT NOW!?’ Akira swore his heart stopped from listening to Sumire’s demand, only to start beating again from how cute that heartwarming smile of hers was. “I-I-umm-”

Watching the entire thing unfold from the sidelines, Ryuji started a small conversation with Makoto and Lala as the two teens went back to their seats. 

“Shouldn’t we… I don’t know, help him out or somethin’?”

“Well, he seems the only one capable of controlling those two.” Makoto told him, rubbing a finger along her temple. “Trying to control a coherent Futaba was already too much for me. I don’t think I’d be able to handle this version of her and Sumire…”

“He’s actually doing much better than you would think.” Lala added her input, garnering shock from the two teenagers as she wiped the counter top. “Must’ve been all that experience from talking to my regulars.”

“Let’s *hic* do it Aki-senpai!” Sumire clutched his front as she looked up at him with that beaming smile of hers still present. “I want to be Sumire Kurusu!"

“Uhh-I d-don’t have a r-ring with me-” 

“Then I want a kiss-”

“Excuse me, Yoshizawa-san.”

Hearing her name being called, Sumire stopped her advances of wanting to marry Akira, shifting her attention to Akechi.

“As amusing as it is to watch Kurusu be the one that’s speechless, it can happen some other time. I’m currently more interested in Takamaki’s explanation for this game you all will be playing, as I require confirmation on whether or not we’re thinking of the same one.” 

“Okaaaaay, Akechi-san…” Sumire muttered, letting go of Akira’s jacket and turning around to look at Ann.

Not wanting to see her act so gloomy, Akira grabbed her hand and spun her 180°. Once she finished spinning, she was welcomed with a kiss that was accompanied with a tight embrace. The two lovers remained that way for a few seconds, much to the annoyance of Akechi but to the delight of everyone else.

Akira stared at Sumire, taking note of the large smile she had and the pink in her cheeks that was masked behind her red face. “I’ll let you be Sumire Kurusu for tonight. After that, we’ll have to do everything correctly if we want to make it official, okay?”

Sumire gave him peck on the lips, showing him her appreciation before celebrating. “Woooooo! You hear that Futaba? We’re sisters for toniiiiight!” 

“Yessssssss! Congratulations on the marriage Sumireeeee! You finally did it Akiraaaaaa! Wooooo!” Futaba expressed her joy for the “newly weds” by enveloping them in a warm hug.

“Oh no! I need to buy presents for the two of you! What should I get them, Mona-chan!?” Haru asked the cat she was holding, searching for items on her phone.

“H-Haru, they’re not actually getting married-” Morgana wasn’t able to finish his sentence since Haru decided to cover his mouth as she thought about presents to buy.

“I must *hic* immortalize their love in a portrait!” Yusuke searched his surroundings, trying to find anything he could use to draw before sitting in the chair he was using for support. “How was I not prepared? I must bring my utensils with me everywhere…” 

“You guyssss!” Ann stomped her feet from where she was, becoming the center of attention. “I didn’t get to explain the rules yet for Akechi! He wanted me to *hic* explain it before Akira and Sumire got married!”

As badly as Akechi wanted to leave, there really was nothing else for him to do tonight besides being here, unless he wanted to spend the rest of his evening in boredom. Making eye-contact with Akira, he pinched the bridge of his nose in utter annoyance of what has transpired thus far. 

“Are you a pack of imbeciles!?”

“S-Sorry…” Akira felt the shame begin to wash over him again, only for Sumire to bring a smile to his face as she hummed in happiness at being a Kurusu for the night.

“Please don’t apologize.” Makoto said in a dejected tone to her leader in hopes of relieving some of his visible shame. “There was no way we could’ve predicted half of us to be like this.”

“Yeah, Makoto’s right… Anyways, can you start explainin’ the rules already, Ann? Do it before things get any worse…” Ryuji let out a nervous laugh as he glanced over at a very troubled Ann.

“I was gonna explain it, Ryuji! You don’t have to tell meeeee!” Ann stomped the ground again as she whined.

“How’s this suddenly my fault!?”

“Anywaaaaays, this is how the King’s Game works!” Ann moved to the counter and placed the ten chopsticks in a way that made it easy to see. “All of us have to choose a single pair of chopsticks from… Umm… Lalaaaaa!”

“Here you go Dear.” Lala handed her an empty cup, this one being significantly darker than the ones she used to serve their drinks.

“Thaaaaank you Lalaaaa!” Ann placed all of the chopsticks into the cup, making sure the ends with the numbers were hidden inside. “So we aaaaaall have to choose one pair of chopsticks from this cup! Almost eeeevery pair will have a number written on them from one to nine-”

“I’m sorry Dear, but I’m afraid I can't play. I have to make sure you kids don’t do anything _inappropriate_.”

“Don’t worry Lalaaaa! We’re not like that aaaaat all! And we also have enough people too!” Ann reassured her, pointing at Morgana as their additional player.

“Your cat’s playing too? That’s so adorable!”

“Right! He’s suuuuuch a good boy!” Ann walked over and gave a few pats to Morgana, causing him to purr in happiness as she continued to explain the rules.

“Where was I…? Oh! The person who gets a chopstick that doesn’t have a number and is only colored red at the end is the King! The King then orders everyone else to do something by calling out their numbers while they keep it a secret!”

“Mweheehe and you can’t argue against the King! Because the most important rule is… The King's order is absolute!” Futaba shouted, raising a fist in the air.

“Thaaaat’s right!” Sumire let go of Akira and wrapped an arm around Futaba’s shoulder, raising her free arm to grasp the fist that was in the air. “The King’s order is absolute!”

Watching Sumire agree with Futaba instantly raised a red flag in Akira’s mind. 

“H-Hey Sumi, how did you know about that rule?”

She walked back to her prince with Futaba in tow, booping him on the nose before clasping her hands behind her back and leaning into his chest. “That’s a seeeeecret Aki-senpai!”

“Akiraaaaaa! Why didn’t you ask me how I knew about that rule?” Futaba cried out from behind Sumire, keeping her eyes pointed to the ground.

“Would you believe me if I said I had a feeling you would know?”

“WOAH.” Futaba stared at him as if he spoke the words of God while tugging on Sumire’s coat. “Sumireeeeee! Your husband is so smart!”

Sumire giggled, losing her balance from leaning even more into him. As she predicted, he caught her safely. Taking advantage of the situation, she nuzzled her face into his chest again.

“He’s smart aaaaaand he always catches me! I *hic* love my husband sooooooo much!”

‘Why is this happening to me?’ Hanging his head really low, Akira sighed very heavily. With how his head was positioned, he gave a few pecks to Sumire’s head. A smile formed on his face when he saw her relax in his arms, giving her a small squeeze as she continued to nuzzle his chest.

“Hey, Ann…” Her knowledge of the rules certainly puzzled Makoto.

“Wasssssup!” 

“How, umm, exactly did you know about the rules for this game?”

“Makotooooo!” Ann pointed a finger directly at her. “How dare you forget my work as a model!”

“I-I’m sorry?” She found herself being threatened from Ann’s accusation. “Umm, h-how does this relate to your modeling?”

“Wait, didn’t I tell you a few minutes ago!?”

Makoto shook her head, causing even more displeasure in Ann before her mood changed, running over to her and giving her a hug.

“I’m sorry! I thought I did!” 

“I-It’s okay…” Makoto murmured from the uncomfortable hug. “Y-You can tell me now if you’d like-”

“Of course! I have to tell you now after my mistake!” Ann freed her and described how she learned about the King’s Game. 

Supposedly, the cover model for one of the magazines Ann modeled in told an interviewer that her and her friends would play the King’s Game whenever they would have their monthly karaoke bar hangout. Curious and wanting to have something to do with her own group, Ann researched the rules and was amazed to find it was _that_ type of game. She swore to herself that she would only suggest to play it in the future so they could properly enjoy it. Alas, the future turned out to be now… 

The sound of footsteps caught everyone’s interest, as Akira turned his head to witness Akechi making his way towards the door. 

“Leaving already?”

“I wanted to confirm whether or not Takamaki and I were thinking of the same game. Now that it appears my guess matched her explanation, I’ve decided to not take part of it.” Akechi gave one final look at Akira before continuing his walk to the door.

“Wow, who knew Akechi was a chicken?” Ryuji’s attempt at getting under Akechi’s skin was thwarted by Makoto, elbowing him in the ribs. 

“Don’t give them any ideas!” 

Unfortunately, Sumire and Futaba already began to imitate the sounds chickens make as they flapped their arms like wings. It also didn’t help that they started calling Akechi a chicken too.

“Look at what you did…” Makoto sighed, slumping in her chair while Ryuji did his best to apologize.

“Some rival you turned out to be…” Akira said in feigned dismay, studying Akechi’s reaction. His infamous smirk appeared on his face when he noticed he stopped dead in his tracks.

“What was that?” Akechi glared at him, disgusted by the smirk plastered across his face.

“You heard me. Some rival you turned out to be.”

“Ohhhhhhh!” Sumire and Futaba yelled from Akira’s words, earning a few laughs from Lala.

Ignoring the two girls, Akechi took a few steps closer to him. “I’m sorry, but can you elaborate on that idea?”

“It’ll be my pleasure. I was just expressing my disappointment on how out of everyone here, it was my rival who decided to run away. Talk about a let down.”

“Really? _I’m_ a let down for making the most logical choice?” Akechi clenched his fist, walking over to the cup where the chopsticks were in, making sure Akira caught his smirk when he passed by. “Fine. I’ll make sure you realize how this game actually works when _I’m_ the King!” 

With everything said and done, Akechi grabbed one of the chopsticks and looked at it, visibly upset to find a number.

“What was that about bein’ King?” Ryuji cackled as he reached over and grabbed a pair from the cup, frowning when he also saw a number. Akechi mocked him, causing him to groan as everyone else got their chopsticks.

With his in hand, Akira went back to his seat. Sumire followed closely behind him, doing her best to balance her’s on her hand as she latched onto his waist. As he took his seat, he noticed the chairs next to him were taken by Ryuji, Makoto, and Akechi. 

Wanting to do his best to help calm her down, he was about to stand up from his seat to grab another chair to place right next to him, only for her to sit perpendicular on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled next to his face. 

He could instantly feel the blood rushing to his face, making him blush a very intense shade of red that could rival her own signature deep blush. The bold move caught the eyes of Ryuji, Makoto, and Lala, as everyone else (minus Akechi) were preoccupied with getting their chopsticks.

“UM-Sumi-”

“Something wrong, Akiiii-senpai?” Sumire smiled in jubilation as she rested her head on his chest. 

“I d-don’t think you should be sitting l-like this-”

“But yooooouuuuu’re my husband, Aki-senpai! Futaba told me this is how a wife should sit with her husband! Aaaaaaand…” She grabbed his arm that was closest to her back and moved it to her waist. “There! Noooooow we’re sitting like how a husband and wife should! And nooooo poking! If you poke, then no more kissssses!” She gave him a few kisses on the cheek before resting on his chest.

“Oh my, she’s taking this one-night marriage really seriously! You both are too cute!” Akira listened to Lala, deciding not to look at her so she wouldn’t tease him about how red his face became.

He turned his head to look at Akechi and Makoto. Akechi rolled his eyes as usual. Makoto, on the other hand, blushed from how cozy Sumire made herself on his lap.

“Sumire, umm, seems v-very comfortable…”

“Y-Yeah…” 

He turned his head the other way, catching sight of the desolation written over Ryuji’s face.

“You’re so lucky to have a girl…”

“S-Sorry…” 

“N-Naw, don’t be…” 

Looking past Ryuji, he watched Ann, Haru, and Yusuke examine their chopsticks. Morgana still had his in his mouth, giving the two lovers a smirk before moving to where Ann and Haru were. And Futaba? She was taking photos of them on her phone while giving them a thumbs-up. 

‘What have you done to her, Futaba!?’ Thinking about what else she could’ve told Sumire was definitely nerve-racking. He could only hope Futaba didn’t tell her anything that would cause her to be ashamed if she was acting like her usual self.

“Sooooo who’s the King?” Ann eagerly asked everyone.

Akira looked at the pair he grabbed. At the top, it had “3”. He leaned back in his chair in defeat, the blush on his face beginning to simmer down. “I guess I’m not the King…” 

“Aki-senpai! Look at what I got!” He turned his head to be welcomed with her lips pressing onto his. “Hah! I got you good!”

‘Ughhhhh she’s too cute!’ Akira gushed mentally as he chuckled for falling for her cheap tactic.

“This is what I reaaaaally got!” She revealed the top of her chopsticks, displaying the number “6”. “Keep it a secret, okay?”

“It looks like neither of us are the King for this round, huh?”

“Don’t worry Aki-senpai, you’ll aaaalways be my King!” Before he had any time to react, Sumire entranced him with more kisses on his cheek. 

Already aware of the intense blush that had returned, he stared directly at the ground, taking notes of what he saw from his peripherals: Makoto coughing to herself, Ryuji leaning back in his chair in sadness, and Lala laughing at what happened. His saving grace came from hearing someone’s voice when they paid close attention to their chopsticks.

“Hey, mine’s red… Wait, doesn’t that mean-”

“Thaaaaaat’s right! You’re our first King!” 

Akira looked in the direction from where the voices were coming from, watching as Ann cheered on the first King…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that 1-2 day break I said I was going to take? Well, apparently I forgot how to write in that small amount of time LOL. Okay maybe not really, but it took a while to get into the groove of things again.
> 
> I'm so sorry for the chapter increase too! I swear, this story began to write itself right after the planning phase. But hey, at least the story now ends on a pleasing number, right?
> 
> Anyways, next chapter is definitely the part I've been waiting to write the entire time. Hopefully the ideas I have for it are able to be portrayed perfectly the way how I want them to be.
> 
> Thank you again to those that have stuck around for so long! Also, let me know if I should remove the slurred speech and hiccups, which is another reason why I'm releasing this chapter separately. I don't want to overwhelm you all with those in case it's annoying to read. 
> 
> Btw, the way Sumire was sitting on Akira's lap is similar to how Yukiko hugged Yu.


	6. The King's Game (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the rules being explained, the game officially begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOO BOY. Just to make it clear, I didn't forget about this! Rather, I spent the past three weeks writing almost the entirety of this game haha. It was when I hit 24k words with the final round not even halfway done yet that I decided to split the game into separate parts. Hence the increased chapter length (curse my mind). More on that later though!
> 
> Short recap from the previous chapters:  
> \- Regular players: Akira, Ryuji, Morgana, Makoto, and Akechi  
> \- "Drunk" players: Sumire, Futaba, Ann, Haru, and Yusuke  
> \- Akira and Sumire are "married" for one night so that her and Futaba can be sisters cause "drunk"  
> \- Sumire is currently sitting on Akira’s lap similar to how Yukiko hugged Yu because Futaba told her that’s how a wife sits with her husband  
> \- Sumire has her hair down and is wearing her glasses
> 
> Rules of the King's Game:  
> 1) The King's order is absolute!  
> 2) Lala has supreme authority (aka if it's inappropriate, it ain't happening)
> 
> Now, without further ado, let the game begin!
> 
> Edit: added a little bit more to the end of the chapter since I didn’t like the way how it ended initially lol.

**2/1/2017 - Crossroads**

“Hey, mine’s red… Wait, doesn’t that mean-”

“Thaaaaaat’s right! You’re our first King!” 

Akira looked in the direction from where the voices were coming from, watching as Ann cheered on the first King: Morgana.

“Oh no.” He and Ryuji muttered under their breath, knowing exactly what Morgana was going to do.

“You boys look upset that your cat’s the first King.” Lala’s comment caused them to wallow further in their disdain towards their feline companion. 

“Woohoo! And since I’m the King, I can order whatever I want, right!?” Morgana anxiously asked Ann for confirmation. With her approval, stressing that it had to be appropriate for Lala, Morgana stated his demand with _a lot_ of excitement:

“I want a kiss and get carried and be nuzzled on their neck with lots of affection for a _really_ long time by…”

‘Please, don’t say 3 or 6! Actually, you better not say 6!’ It might have been because of his protective nature, or his selfishness as her boyfriend, but Akira DIDN’T want anyone (with Futaba as a possible exception) to order Sumire to do anything. ‘Oh no, I have to watch after her now!’

‘Please, I know I denied Dr. Maruki’s reality, but if there’s anything you can still grant me, LET IT BE THIS!’ Morgana closed his eyes, pondering about his choice. 

“Number 2! Give me all of the affection you can offer me! Now, without further ado!” 

The cat gave a very expecting look at Ann, elation written all over his face in hopes of calling her number. To his surprise, Ann leaned towards him, shocking Akira, Ryuji, and Makoto as their jaws dropped.

‘I can’t believe it! Dr. Maruki actually listened this time!’ Ready for his kiss, Morgana closed his eyes. It took a while, but he finally opened his eyes to see… 

“Better luck next time~!” Ann sent him a wink, showing him her number, “5”.

“B-But if you’re n-not 2, then who-”

“WHAT!? ARGH YOU GOTTA BE SHITTIN’ ME!” 

Morgana’s worst nightmare came true.

“I meant 5! 5! Not 2!” 

“Mona-chan~! I don’t believe you can change your numbers once they’re picked.” Haru aggressively stroked his back, making him shudder even more before restraining him on the table.

“Please! PLEASE! Anything but 2! I don’t want anything from-”

“Nooooo way kitty!” Futaba jumped from her seat, pointing a finger directly at the cat. “You can’t go against the King’s order, even if you are one! Because the King’s order-”

“Is absolute!” Sumire chimed as she finished Futaba’s sentence, raising one of her hands in the air, wrapping it around Akira’s neck again when she brought it back down.

“UH UH! HELL NO! THERE’S NO WAY IN HELL I’M KISSIN’ THE CAT!” Ryuji shouted as he stared directly at Morgana, feeling sick to his stomach from just imagining what he had to do. “This gotta count as inappropriate, right Lala!?”

“Inappropriate? Hon, this is anything BUT inappropriate! Who wouldn’t want to give their cat a kiss?” Lala then placed her hand under her chin, perplexed at what was going on. “Though, this is weird… How’d you know your cat wanted a kiss?” 

“Urgh, just a hunch… ” Ryuji glanced at the people sitting with him at the counter. Akira gave him a slow, miserable nod while Sumire nuzzled her face on Akira’s neck with a cheeky grin. 

“S-Sumi-”

“I’m only showing Ryuji-senpai what he has to do to Morgana-senpai! But doooon’t worry, Akiii-senpai, I’ll make sure my huuuuusband doesn't feel left out~!” 

She gave Akira a lovely kiss to finish her demonstration, causing his cheeks to flare up in red from how daring she became after Futaba told her how to act ever since they got “married”.

Ryuji whimpered at the thought of mimicking what Sumire was doing to his best friend to Morgana. Through the corner of his eye, he saw Makoto shaking her head in disbelief with her hand partially covering her eyes. He didn’t need to look at Akechi, already aware he was laughing at his misfortune. 

Forcing himself to Morgana’s direction, he focused on the agitating cat that was immobilized by Haru’s hand. Ann ushered him to get closer, with Yusuke framing his hands and Futaba getting her phone ready as they, along with everyone else, waited in anticipation.

Standing right in front of the table where Morgana was held down, Ryuji refused to make eye contact.

“Hope you know this is all YOUR fault!” 

“I-I… I know…” 

“H-Huh!?” He didn’t expect him to accept the blame so quickly.

“C-Can we… You know, not do this? I really don’t want to kiss-”

“Y-Yeah! C-Can’t we skip this round!? I mean, we both don’t wanna do this, r-right!?” 

Ann took their words into consideration, thinking very hard about the amount of discontentment they were probably feeling. It took her fifteen seconds to give them her answer:

“Nooooo!”

“Lady Ann…”

“THE HELL YOU MEAN ‘NO’!?

“Nooooo means no, Ryuji!” Ann pouted until she covered her face. “D-Don’t you love M-M-Morgana!?”

“Huh!? What’s that gotta do with-”

“You g-guys are always f-fighting!”

“What!? W-We’re not always fightin’, r-right Morgana?”

“R-Right! W-We don’t fight like we used to, Lady Ann!”

“You’re b-both lyyyyying!” Ann continued to whine while frantically shaking her head. “You guys f-fought right when we g-got here!”

“Well, umm, that was…” 

“Lady Ann… I’m sorry-” Morgana froze the instant he felt Haru’s presence by his ear.

“Ann-chan will feel MUCH better if you tell her what she wants to hear, Mona-chan~.” 

Not wanting to test the wrath of a “drunk” Haru, bearing witness to a portion of it from how she’s treated him recently, he set his eyes on his agitated Lady Ann before setting them on a guilt-ridden Ryuji.

“Hey, R-Ryuji…”

“Y-Yeah…”

Morgana took one final look at his Lady Ann, upset at how his plan horribly backfired. 

“… I love you…”

Ryuji also looked at Ann, making sure she heard him so she would stop crying. 

“… I love you too, Morgana…” 

“G-Good…” Ann stopped shaking, removing her hands from her face to reveal a large smile. “Now gooooo kiss each other!”

“Dammit Ann! I friggin’ knew you were actin’!” 

“Buuuut you fell for it! Now show Morgana your affection! Do it, or you’ll both be losers foreeeever!”

“Ann’s riiiiight!” Futaba pumped a fist in the air. “You’ll be losers foreeeeever if you don’t kiss aaaaand chickens for being cowards!” 

Almost immediately, she started making chicken noises. It didn’t take long for Sumire to join in with Futaba’s mockery, much to Akira’s dismay. He almost poked her waist to make her stop, but chose not to. He didn’t want to know if her threat of no longer kissing him was real after all. 

“Gee Ryuji, couldn’t you have reacted to your number getting called _earlier_!?” The taunts from Futaba, Sumire, and Lady Ann got the best of Morgana’s temper. “Didn’t you see your number right after Akechi got his chopsticks too!?”

“How was I supposed to remember that after the stunt Ann pulled!? She made it look like _she_ got called for cryin’ out loud!” Ryuji took a step closer to him, his anger returning because of the taunts. “L-Let’s just get this over with, yeah?”

“… Alright…” 

With Haru releasing the vice-like grip she had on the cat, Ryuji picked him up and winced at what he was about to do.

“What are you waiting for? Kiss him!” Ann cheered.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Haru, Yusuke, Futaba, and Sumire chanted following Ann’s encouragement.

“Why is this happening?” Makoto peered through the gap she made with her fingers, refusing to remove her hand from her face.

Ryuji gave a sullen look at Morgana, slowly bringing him closer to his face.

“Why do yah gotta simp over Ann so much?”

Morgana remained silent, closing his eyes as he puckered his lips. Ryuji quivered from the action, also closing his eyes and puckering his lips as he brought the cat even closer to his face.

While Ryuji and Morgana took their time for the inevitable, Akira moved the hand that wasn’t on Sumire’s waist to shield her eyes.

“Akiii-senpai! I can’t see them kisssss!” She whined in his ear, trying to shake the hand away from her eyes. “Let me waaaaatch!”

“N-No! You can’t! If I catch you watching them, then I’ll… Umm… P-Poke your waist!” He regretted his words the moment she stopped fidgeting. He regretted his words even more when she removed her arms around his neck. 

‘Oh no… What have I done…”

“Honey, you messed up _big_ time.” Lala’s passing comment drove him further in his guilt.

“S-Sumire…” He removed his hand away from her eyes, revealing a pout as she crossed her arms across her chest and kept her eyes focused on anything but him. “I-I’m sorry-”

She mumbled something, cutting off his attempted apology. Realizing he stopped talking, she rested herself onto his chest.

“Su… mi…”

Akira chuckled at her stubbornness in wanting to only be called her nickname, gently lifting her chin so their eyes would meet.

“That’s right. How could I forget? I’m a dumb h-h-husband, r-right Sumi?” Despite trying to act slick, his cheeks couldn’t resist turning a hint of pink from calling himself her husband.

“You’re the biggest dummy… Aaaaaaand a mean husband for wanting to poke my waist after I said noooo…” She closed her eyes and puffed her cheeks even more before unfolding her arms and squishing his face, pulling him in for a peck. 

“But yoooouuuu’re _my_ dummy and mean husband-”

Akira gave her another kiss, letting this one linger a few seconds, partially hoping that Ryuji and Morgana got their own smooch over with.

“And you’re _my_ clever and dru- I mean, c-cute w-w-wife.” 

Hearing him calling her cute, as well as his “wife”, brought a warm smile to her face, returning her arms back to his neck to give him a tight hug and more pecks on the cheek.

“I looooove you, Akiii-senpai! You’re the beeeest husband ever!” She rewarded his cheek with another peck, placing her head on his chest right after. “I’ll let you poke my waist, juuuuust for being the beeeest-”

He didn’t let her finish her sentence, choosing to poke her waist three times. She squirmed on his lap in laughter, tightening her hug as she buried her face into his chest with a large smile.

“I love you too, Sumi. You’re the best w-wife ever I could ever ask for.” 

“Awww! Keep that up and I’ll really think you two are married for more than tonight!” 

As he listened to Lala’s praise, he wondered if he would be able to call Sumire his “wife” without stumbling tonight, though it also raised the question if she would remember any of this at all in the first place. Putting those thoughts into the back of his head for now, he looked ahead of him in hopes that Ryuji and Morgana were finished with their business so they could move onto the next round.

Unfortunately, he was welcomed with the sight of them kissing, witnessing the entirety of the kiss unfold. Thankfully, Sumire was too occupied with giggling from all the pokes she received to care about watching them anymore, so there was no need for him to block her eyes. 

“BLEGH!” Both boys shouted out, with Ryuji extending his arms all the way so he could be as far away from Morgana as possible.

“I feel like I’m gonna puke…”

“Stop acting like you’re the only one that didn’t want to do it!”

The both of them sighed heavily, taking a look at everyone around them. Makoto and Akira looked scarred from what they bore witness to, with Sumire too busy giggling into his chest. Akechi did what they expected he would do, which was laugh at them. Yusuke kept his hands framed as he relished in their sulking attitudes while Ann and Haru commented on how sweet their kiss was. However, they also critiqued them for not letting it be as romantic as Akira’s and Sumire’s kisses, making the boy in question blush. Futaba was the last person they saw, already accepting the fact she took pictures of their kiss.

No longer wanting to deal with the humiliation, Ryuji lowered his arms to set Morgana back on the table. As he was about to let go, the cries from Ann and Futaba telling him to wait almost made him drop the cat.

“The hell you mean ‘wait’!? Wasn’t I just supposed to kiss him!?”

“Noooooope!” 

“Heh heh! You still need to nuzzle Morgana on your neck! Unlesssss you’re a chicken!” 

Once again, Futaba imitated a chicken with Ann providing backup. Sumire was absent this time around, mainly because Akira did everything in his power to prevent her by telling her how happy he is that they’re “married”.

With an audible and irritated groan, Ryuji brought Morgana to his neck so it could be nuzzled.

“MORE!”

The sudden demand from Yusuke put a pause to the nuzzling. They looked at him, confused by what exactly he was asking for.

“Why did you stop!? I said MORE!”

“… More of _what_ … ?” Ryuji and Morgana stared at their eccentric friend, unsure what to think of his obscure demand.

“More affection! You call this subtle contact between Morgana’s head and your neck affection!? You require more emotion and intimacy!” 

“Yeah! You tell ‘em Inari!” Futaba gave him a rough pat on the back, causing him to stumble until he caught himself by shoving Morgana to Ryuji’s neck.

“Yes! Just like that! Now, give me that raw emotion Akira revealed to us all back in Shibuya!” With his hands now on Ryuji’s elbows, he guided him through the motions on how to correctly let Morgana nuzzle his neck.

“Let go of me, dammit! I can do it myself!” Ryuji nuzzled the cat the way Yusuke wanted after pulling his arms away, not wanting to be called a chicken again by Futaba and Ann for not showing enough “affection”.

“How long do I gotta do this for anyways?” 

Ann ran a finger down Morgana’s back, sending shivers down his spine. “Uuuuuntil the end of the next round!”

“FOR REAL!?”

“Yuuuuuup! Morgana said a _really_ long time after all!”

“Aargh Morgana!”

“I’m sorry…”

Ryuji slumped his shoulders, knowing there was no point in complaining. “It’s fine… Can we just, you know, start the next round?”

Following Ryuji’s suggestion, Ann went over to retrieve everyone’s chopsticks. When she made her way to Akira and Sumire, she congratulated the two on their “marriage”, hugging them both and calling them cute as she had Lala shuffle the chopsticks in the cup.

“Heeeeeey Aki-senpai!”

“Yes, Su-” He turned his head to look at her, being welcomed with another kiss. 

“I tricked you again! Wooooo!” She hugged him tight, kissing his cheek as she let go of his neck. “I’m going to hang out with Futaba, okay? I proooooomise I’ll be safe!”

“I’ll be waiting for you.” Akira sent her a charming grin, receiving another hug before she hopped off his lap. 

However, rather than going to where Futaba was, she remained motionless in front of him. Suddenly, she spun around and kissed him again, which was soon followed by a tight embrace.

“I’m leaving…” 

Hidden behind her red face, he could see hints of pink coating her cheeks as she smiled softly. It didn’t take long for his own cheeks to start blushing, realizing what she was insinuating.

“H-Have a s-safe trip…” 

He’ll admit, it felt weird to say those things judging from how they weren’t actually living together, yet. Even so, there was something about how she reacted to his words that made him wish time skipped ahead to where everything was official and they didn’t have to pretend tonight, while also wishing that they shared a place to call home.

She gasped the moment she heard him complete the farewell, despite it not being in the correct context, staring into his gray eyes until her smile returned with more glee. Giving him a joyous nod, she skipped to where Futaba was, almost tripping and bumping into the wall if it wasn’t for the quirky girl saving her. The two girls stared at each other, looked at the wall, and then stared at each other again, laughing at the awkwardness they created as they hugged. 

Akira found himself smiling from their interaction again, unable to contain his happiness at how close they’ve gotten.

“The two of them seem really happy to be, umm, sisters?” While also happy for them, Makoto felt slightly muddled from how seriously they took their siblinghood. 

“I’m really proud of both of them.” Akira looked at Makoto with his grin still present. “They each told me how badly they wanted to be close friends when they found out they were the same age, and seeing how they’ve talked to each other today makes me…”

Makoto noticed him trailing off when he turned his head to look at them. Unknownst to her, the reason for him trailing off was because of what caught his eye. He watched Futaba whisper something into Sumire’s ear, certain it wasn’t a joke considering how her eyes widened prior to searching for his eyes. The instant she knew her red orbs pierced his gray ones, a mischievous grin formed on her face that was soon followed with a wink.

He lost track of the number of times his heart skipped beating because of his beloved’s antics today, feeling his mind breaking again with his cheeks developing a deep blush. After watching her giggle from what she did, taking note of the vibrant pink hue hidden behind her redness, he instantly aimed his head down in his seat in hopes of cooling off.

“M-Makes-me-umm-v-very-g-glad!” 

Still feeling her eyes gazing at him, he took a quick peek at her. Sure enough, Sumire was leaning towards his direction so she would be in his line of sight with Futaba’s arm over her shoulder. She flirtatiously waved, blowing him a kiss while winking at him for a second time.

He jumped in his seat right when he saw her wink again, unable to catch the kiss she blew and smack it onto his cheek as an attempt to tease her. He felt his face light up in red again, taking another peek at Sumire and Futaba to see what they were up to. He watched Futaba offer her a high-five, one she happily accepted as they hugged and laughed.

‘Dammit Futaba!’ Akira mentally cursed at the gremlin that seemed to be corrupting his sacred princess. ‘What are you doing to MY Sumire!?’

“Umm, A-Akira? Are you okay?”

“Wha-”

Makoto’s voice freed him from the darkness shrouding his eyes. He swung his head to see her somewhat afraid of witnessing this unfamiliar side of their leader.

“O-Oh! Umm… S-Sorry about that…” He shamefully rubbed the back of his head with his hand as he corrected his posture. “I k-kinda lost it there for a second…”

“I-It’s fine… You were just, umm, seething…”

“Yeah dude, you were lookin’ pretty scary from the way you were breathin’.” Ryuji walked over to them with Morgana in his arms, still nuzzling his neck, taking the seat right next to Akira. “It’s okay if I sit here, right?”

His two friends remained speechless.

“Uhh, guys…” 

All he saw were blank stares, mainly directed at his neck. It took him a few seconds to realize what they were staring at due to how their faces appeared to be hiding something.

Morgana turned his head when Ryuji stopped talking, making sure he was out of Ann’s, Haru’s, and Yusuke’s visual field to cease the nuzzling for now. He was welcomed with the suspicious gazes from Akira and Makoto.

“What? Is there something you want to say!? HUH!?” 

Listening to Morgana’s temper escalate almost made the two snicker from the aftermath of a humorous round one. Their saving grace came from Akechi of all people, howling at the sight of Ryuji keeping Morgana snug on his neck.

“It appears there is actually a way to eliminate the bickering amongst the two of you after all.” Akechi gifted them a smug smirk.

“Like you’re one to talk!” 

“Yeah! You almost ditched the place after Ann explained everythin’ too!” 

“That is indeed true. I almost walked out due to not wanting to partake in this game. Well, if it wasn’t for _him_.” Akechi instantly leered at Akira when he finished his sentence.

“Let’s be honest, if you did leave, then you-”

“Oh believe me, I wanted to prove you wrong the moment you called me a let down.” Akechi leaned back in his seat, satisfied with how he interrupted Akira. “Aren’t you going to ask how I know the rules? I’m sure my initial reaction warranted such a question.”

“Well, if you insist…” Makoto led in while Akira and Ryuji listened on. “How did you learn about the King’s Game?”

“I’m glad you asked-”

“Really dude, you’re gonna do _that_?”

“Will you let me finish before you interrupt me?” Ryuji grunted, allowing Akechi to continue. “As I was saying…” 

He told the only logical individuals in Crossroads how during one of his calls with Shido after providing his “assistance”, Shido sounded less poised than usual. When he asked if he was alright, he was answered back with slurred affirmation that there’s nothing to be worried about with multiple cheers being heard in the background. Assuming that Shido was throwing a party for some type of small accomplishment, Akechi was about to put his phone away when he noticed something: Shido didn’t hang up.

Normally during these types of calls, Shido would break off Akechi’s descriptions and end the call prematurely. That odd time, however, was used as an opportunity to listen further and figure out what exactly Shido was planning. Much to his surprise, there wasn’t anything worth listening to other than adults yelling at each other. Finding no use in continuing the call after five minutes, Akechi almost ended it until Shido’s voice became predominantly audible.

Believing he could use this against him in the future, Akechi listened intently, already feeling infuriated when Shido called himself “King” and that anything he says must be carried out. It was only after he heard crude demands that he questioned what he was actually listening to. He hung up not after hearing female voices revere Shido as some sort of God, but when he heard multiple kisses from the other side of the call. Filled with utter disgust, but also curious, he did a small amount of research when he returned to his apartment to get a better understanding at what kind of game Shido was playing. 

“When I found out how the King’s Game should be played, I told myself I wouldn’t partake in it, hence my response to Takamaki-san’s suggestion being the way it was.” Akechi finished his story as he scowled at Akira and Ryuji again. “Well, that wasn’t until Kurusu pestered me into playing, along with Sakamoto, Sakura-san, and Yoshizawa-san.”

“… I see…” Makoto was at a loss of words, feeling as if she was caught in the middle of something between the boys around her.

“Well, I guess it makes sense why you wouldn’t want to play when you put it that way…” Akira looked at Ryuji, who joined him in some awkward laughter.

“Oh? What’s this? Are you feeling the need to run away after finding out how you should _really_ be playing this game, Kurusu?” Akechi gave his rival a smirk from how his voice wavered.

“Remember Hon, keep it appropriate.” Lala felt the need to place an emphasis on the unofficial second most important rule, to which Akechi agreed with a nod and a smile.

It took Akira a few seconds, but he answered back with a smirk of his own.

“Why would I run away when the party’s just begun?” 

“Hell yeah! I ain’t backin’ down too!” It was hard to take Ryuji seriously with how he was rubbing a cat on his neck, but his message was loud and clear.

“I’m still going to try and get what I want, so there’s no point in stopping now!” While Morgana’s resolve was admirable, he was met with displeased groans.

“Glad to hear it.” Akechi changed his focus to the only person that hasn’t said anything yet. “What about you, Niijima-san? It’s only fair you give me your answer since Sakamoto and Morgana gave me theirs, even though I didn’t ask for it.”

“Hey!”

“You just _love_ pissin’ people off, huh!?”

“Well…” While definitely out of her element, Makoto didn’t want to disappoint her friends in being the only one that doesn’t want to play. “I suppose I’ll continue to play too…” 

“Makotoooooo!” With a cup full of chopsticks in her hand, Ann hugged her and lifted her up from her seat, stunning everyone. “I’m sooooo glad you’re still playing! I thought you had enough after the first round!”

“Umm, Ann…” She wasn’t raised too high in the air, but it still was embarrassing to her nonetheless. “C-Can you p-put me down…?”

“Huh? Ohhhhhh. Sooooorry Makoto!” With a few giggles, she brought her back down, greeting Ryuji with a pat on his head and Morgana with a back rub.

“Now c’mon! Let’s geeeeeet your chopsticks so we can go on ahead with round two! Eveeeeeryone’s waiting!”

With a new drive to keep playing, they each grabbed a chopstick, silently agreeing amongst themselves to not look at what they got until Ann gave them the signal. Ryuji grabbed an additional one for Morgana since he wouldn’t be able to get one with his mouth for the time being.

“Aaaaaalright! Who’s the King?” 

Akira’s eyes immediately focused on the top of his chopsticks, upset that he found the number “9”. Through his peripherals, he could see those around him also got numbers based on their woeful reactions. He then looked over at Sumire and Futaba, coming to the conclusion that neither of them are King based on their boisterous behavior.

‘Since Ann wouldn’t be King if she’s asking, that means there’s two of us left-’

“Oh my! It looks like I’m the King!”

‘Great, of course that’s who our next King is.’ 

Already feeling himself tremble from the types of things that could be ordered, Akira looked over at the next King: Haru.

“I-I’m not the only one that’s s-scared, right?” 

“N-No, you’re n-not the o-only one…” 

As the only one that heard Ryuji and Morgana voice their concerns, he gave the pair a nod to let them know they’re not alone.

“Wooooo! Leeeeeeet’s go, Haru!” Ann cheered, draping her arm around the new King. “I would call you our Queen, but thaaaat’s already taken by Makoto!”

“A-A-Ann!” 

“Whoops! Soooorry Makoto… But Lalaaaa can keep a secret!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but my lips are sealed.” Acting like she zipped her mouth shut and threw away the key, Lala gave Makoto and Ann her word. To her amusement, Sumire and Futaba were afraid of losing the imaginary key to unzip her mouth, carefully scavenging through the cups on the counter to look for it. 

“Aaaanyways… Haru!” Ann returned her attention to the current King. “What’s the order?”

“Hmmmm, I haven’t given much thought about it just yet…” Haru stood up from her seat and walked over to the counter to lean her back on it, standing in between Akira and Ryuji. “I’m open to any suggestions!”

Considering the types of things Haru _might_ actually take into consideration, Akira and Ryuji chose to not offer any. Apparently Makoto and Akechi understood the situation at hand, also remaining silent. 

“I have some ideas!” From the opposite end of the counter, Futaba cried out to her King with her and Sumire’s arms around each other’s shoulders, eventually making their way over to them. “Your Kingliness! I beseech onto you that you order the newlyweds to glomp each other!”

“Yessss! Grant me the order to glomp my husband, your Majesty! I don’t know what it means, but it sooouuunds fun!” Sumire gazed at Akira with a very teasing grin.

“Glomp!? The hell is that!?” Ryuji asked the same question Akira had, whose mind was currently spiralling out of control. He could only guess that allowing Sumire to glomp him was indecent, judging from how it came from Futaba.

“Sounds more inappropriate than fun, Dear.” If the seriousness behind Lala’s tone weren’t enough, she stared coldly at Futaba as an additional warning.

“C’mon, God Lalaaaa! It’s appropriate! Here, listen to this!” Futaba motioned for her to lend an ear, leaning over the counter so she could explain what it was.

Her eyes widened when Futaba finished her description. With an apology, as well as giving her a head pat for being revered in such a way, she gave permission for people to glomp based on the King’s orders.

“Umm, I s-still don’t know what it means…” Akira quietly pleaded with Lala to change her mind, still hesitant on letting Sumire glomp him as his cheeks began to heat up from imagining what it could be.

“Oh Honey, there’s nothing to be worried about!” She made an attempt to reassure him with a smile. “I promised the girl I wouldn’t tell anyone what it means, but it’s appropriate to me. Well, so long as nothing breaks.”

“T-Thanks Lala…” Her encouraging words did nothing to calm him down. In fact, they only made him more worrisome considering the last thing she said.

“Futaaaaba-chan!” Acting as if she really was royalty, Haru placed her hand on Futaba’s head to signify her superiority over her. “I will heed to your demands, so long as you remain courteous to your King!”

Getting the message, Futaba kneeled on one knee, which was soon followed by Sumire copying her.

“Aki-senpai! You need to kneel too!” Sumire swiftly moved next to him, tugging at his arm so he could join her and Futaba. 

With much reluctance, Akira also kneeled before Haru. It didn’t take long for him to notice the other people sitting at the counter were still in their seats.

“Umm, guys…” While Futaba was busy sharing her ideas, he tried to look at Ryuji, Makoto, and Akechi, exhaling deeply when they all avoided his eyes. “Great…”

“Mission accomplished!” Sumire excitedly whispered, leaning herself onto Akira so he would have to catch her with both arms.

For falling for her plan, and wanting some sort of revenge after everything she put him through since they got here, he decided to have his own fun.

“I hope you know I don’t plan on letting go.” He whispered softly and flirtatiously, cuddling her to show how serious he was. 

Upon hearing her giggle, he gave her a tight squeeze and lifted her bangs to give her forehead multiple kisses. What happened next certainly made him underestimate the lengths she would go for things to go in her favor. Well, when she’s “drunk” at least.

She placed some pressure on his leg whose knee wasn’t touching the floor. It wasn’t a lot of pressure, but it was definitely uncomfortable to keep his leg propped up the way it was for an extended period of time. He adjusted himself accordingly to where both of his knees were now on the ground. For a split second, he swore he saw Sumire flash her version of his infamous smirk at him. 

While confused at what that could entail, he watched her smirk transform into a gentle smile as she closed her eyes. He then watched her place her head on his lap and breathe slowly, still unsure what was going on. It took him some time, but it finally registered to him what she was doing: Sumire was using his lap as a pillow.

He couldn’t believe her. Not only did she shamelessly sit on his lap earlier because Futaba told her that’s what a wife would do to her husband, but now, most likely for the same reason too, she’s taking a nap on it. Already feeling the blood rushing back to his face, he imagined his blush looking all too similar to Sumire’s again. He kept his eyes glued on her, afraid of accidentally making eye-contact with someone as he hoped no one was watching them. Thankfully, Futaba’s, and now Yusuke’s, numerous ideas seemed to hold everyone’s attention, with Lala disapproving a handful of them.

“S-S-Sumire! Pssst! Sumire!” 

She remained motionless. 

“Umm, S-Sumi! H-Hey, Suuuuuumi!” 

Even with her nickname being called in an endearing way, she didn’t budge. 

‘Great, what do I do-’ 

Through the corner of his eye, Akira thought he saw her smile through her hair. With locks of crimson in his hand, he moved her hair to the side to see her face. As predicted, the gentle smile she had earlier became a smug smirk. While what she was doing was definitely cute, he wanted his payback _badly_.

With his eyes trained on her face, he slowly brought a hand to her waist and let it rest there. The only reaction he received so far was a very faint snicker. He gave her a forbearing poke, watching her snicker again, albeit more audibly. With his infamous smirk spreading across his face, he gave her five robust pokes, observing her writhe hysterically with her red face turning even more red as a result. 

During the middle of her laughing fit, Akira raised her up from his lap, guiding her arms to wrap around his neck.

“Gotcha-”

She pulled him in, pressing her lips onto his to end his moment of triumph prematurely.

“Gotcha now~!” Sumire winked at him for the third time this evening, relaxing her head on his chest right after. 

‘She might actually kill me at this point…’ 

He chuckled at the idea of the leader of the Phantom Thieves suddenly dying, all because of his beloved’s winks becoming too much for him to handle. It also didn’t help that she copied one of his catchphrases, poking her waist an additional time for piracy.

“How about this one, my King! You demand Morgana to get yeeted by Ryuji!” 

“Stop treating me like I’m some kind of toy, Futaba!”

“God Lalaaaa! He’s saying how much he loves getting yeeted!”

“Well, since he loves it so much, I guess I’ll allow it…”

“For real!?”

“Why do you sound thrilled to do this!?” 

“Hmm, I’ll consider Mona-chan getting yeeted by Ryuji-kun a possibility!”

“WHAT!” 

“Your Majesty! I ask of you to grant me permission to create a sculpture of Morgana getting yeeted by the number you announce! I will use my blood, sweat, and tears to make it perfect for your kingdom!”

“Gah! Yusuke, I’m not going to allow myself to do whatever Futaba’s asking for, got it!?”

“Okumura-san, please make a decision. We don’t have all night to listen to Sakura-san and Kitagawa share their ideas. Though, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to bear witness to Morgana getting, as Sakura-san says, yeeted by Sakamoto.”

“Akechi! Why you-”

“I can’t believe this…”

“You can get me out of this situation, right Makoto!? What about you, Lady Ann!?” 

“You guyssss! What if Haru wants to order Morgana to let him get yeeted by her?”

Having realized Futaba, who was now standing, and Yusuke were still sharing their ideas to Haru, with Ann having joined the conversation, Akira hoisted himself and Sumire up from the ground with his arms around her waist. Keeping her head on his chest, she swayed side to side a little in their shared embrace, causing him to also sway as he smiled at her.

“It’s like we’re performing a dance for our King!”

“It’s pretty nice, huh?”

“But I’ll always perform for my husband, because yooouu’re _my_ true King~!”

“Uh… Y-Yeah…” 

“That’s it! I know what to ask for!” Haru’s shout paused everyone from what they were doing, as they all watched her walk to the side of the booth that didn’t have a table at the end. 

“I want someone…” She sat down and patted her lap with a menacing smirk. “To rest their head on my lap for the rest of the game, just like what Sumire-chan was doing to Akira-kun earlier!” 

Akira’s face lit up in a bashful red, ashamed that someone saw and brought attention to them.

“Akiii-senpai! Our King talked about ussss! Our love got our King’s attention!” Sumire squeezed him tight from all of her excitement. “I’m soooooo happy our love was recognized by royalty!”

Despite being embarrassed from getting singled out, he couldn’t resist smiling from her reaction. “I’m h-happy too. Happy because you’re happy, Sumi.” 

“And that someone is…”

Instinctively, he squeezed her in fear of his number getting called, having also noticed Ryuji and Morgana shivering. Sumire, misreading his gesture, squeezed him back, much to his relief.

“Number 6!”

It felt like a ton of weights had been lifted off his shoulders, exhaling very deeply from not being called. With Sumire still hugging him and not reacting to the number, he assumed she wasn’t called either. Hearing Ryuji and Morgana also exhale gave him the sign that they wouldn’t have to suffer again for the time being.

It wasn’t until he heard Makoto gasp that he turned around, prepared to see her hesitantly walk over to Haru and do what she was ordered. However, he was surprised to see her still sitting down, watching the person next to her curse at themselves prior to moving.

‘No, don’t tell me…’ 

Akira, with Sumire still in his arms, leaned forward to double check if his hunch was correct. Inadvertently, Sumire believed he wanted to dip her just like in their attack in the Metaverse. She released her arms around his neck and extended them out, bending her back along his arm while closing her eyes.

“Don’t forget the pose!” 

‘I swear, you’re even more cute and dangerous when you’re like this- WAIT, THAT’S BAD!’ 

With a short kiss, causing her to let out muffled giggles, he brought her back up and went back to looking past Makoto to confirm his suspicion. 

“You know, I didn’t think you’d-”

“Oh please, I’m only getting ready to leave.”

“Wait, what?”

“Booooo! You’re a chiiiiicken, Akechi-san!”

As expected, Sumire, along with Futaba, clucked like chickens. This time, she kept her arms around Akira and gave him a squeeze whenever she made a sound. Futaba, on the other hand, flapped her arms more assertively to make up for her “sister’s” absence.

“I’d rather be a chicken than do something so degrading. I may have considered it for a single round, but not for the entirety of the game. Even I have standards for what I’ll allow myself to do.” Saying what had to be said, Akechi walked to the door, ready for his boredom to take over the moment he left Crossroads.

“So you’re going to walk out, just like that?” Akira felt offended from how easily his rival’s mood changed involving the game. “What about all that talk about showing me how this game should be played?”

“Yeah dude! You can’t leave after sayin’ all that stuff!” It seemed Ryuji was also offended by Akechi going back on his word. “It ain’t as bad as you think-”

“Says the one currently allowing Morgana to get familiar with his neck.”

“At least I accepted what I’m doin’! Ain’t that right, Morgana?”

“Huh? R-Right!” 

Scoffing at their little interaction and deciding he spent too long explaining himself, Akechi reached for the door’s handle and grasped it. 

“Oh, Akechi-kun~!”

All he had to do was pull the door open and walk out.

“If you’re not a chicken as they claim you to be, then I don’t believe you should leave just yet~.”

But he just HAD to let Haru’s “harmless” words make him feel diminutive.

“As you can see, Okumura-san, I was about to-”

He made the mistake of looking at her. Upon making eye-contact, he was met with a soft, but _very_ minacious smile that dictated him to stay. It was a smile he became all too familiar with whenever they were in the Metaverse. 

Back when they were preparing to send Sae’s calling card, they would spend hours exploring Mementos, battling any Shadows they encountered amongst fulfilling requests. During one of these many fights, Akechi noticed Haru secluding herself with a lone Shadow. Curious as to what she could possibly be doing by herself, he went off to provide support in case she wasn’t able to handle it alone. After all, he needed them all alive for his plan to work.

When he got closer to her, he was relieved to find her pulling her own weight. Deciding that his help was no longer needed, and thus didn’t have to force himself to do something so trivial, he was about to regroup with everyone else until he heard her speak to the shadow. Under the impression that she was carrying out an interrogation, he walked up behind her again. 

Just as he predicted, the Shadow was begging for its life. Resisting the urge to rip it to shreds, he listened to Haru's interrogation, _very_ surprised to find it going differently than how Akira’s would go. Rather than asking the Shadow for more money or items, she slammed her axe directly in front of it, embedding it into the ground in between the Shadow’s legs. She then crouched down and commanded it to run, all while wearing a malignant grin. 

Without hesitating, the Shadow crawled its way to its feet and ran, trying its best to get out of her sightline despite being in an open area. Sadly, it didn’t get too far. Haru stood up and shot a round from her grenade launcher at it, causing it to explode on impact. As the dust and smoke settled, Akechi watched her giggle from her finished work, picking up her axe with no problem. It didn’t help that she commented how she felt a shiver of excitement whenever she forced a Shadow to do those things, making him unconsciously tremble.

While he savored the feeling of shredding a Shadow into nothingness, at least it died before it could do anything and _may_ have potentially accepted its doomed fate. Meanwhile, Haru made sure the Shadow knew it made her feel exhilarated with what she’s doing, instilling it with false hope of surviving as she dealt the final blow, all while wearing a jovial smile. Assuming this was how she normally acts in the Metaverse, since no one seemed to mind her actions, he made sure to never meet this side of her if his plan ends up in failure.

Obviously, things didn’t go his way. Piecing together that Akira faked his death and how they’re most likely infiltrating Shido’s Palace due to his recent restlessness, he confronted them in the palace’s engine room. After a hard fought battle, he was on the receiving end of one of Haru’s attacks. After getting his body thrown from an explosion caused by Akira and Ryuji, he witnessed Haru aiming her grenade launcher at him and pulled the trigger, wearing that same grin she had when she interrogated Shadows. Knowing how this would end, he closed his eyes and unconsciously trembled.

To his shock, he found himself getting pelted by a dud, deducing she somehow had enough time to change one of her rounds with this fake one. Akira took this chance and cracked his mask, ultimately incapacitating him. Before speaking to the Phantom Thieves after his defeat, he made a vow that if he ever survived this ordeal, he would do his best to never meet this side of Haru ever again.

Alas, he found himself unconsciously trembling once more, cursing at himself for paying any amount of attention to her when all he had to do was open the door and leave.

“You can’t leave when we’ve only started the game, right Akechi-kun~?”

He hated himself for making such a miniscule mistake.

“Why don’t you listen like the obedient peasant you’re supposed to be and place your head on your King’s lap?”

And he _definitely_ hated this condescending tone she’s currently having with him.

“Ohhhhhhh!” Sumire and Futaba yelled in response to Haru calling Akechi a peasant. 

Not liking where this was going, Akira covered Sumire’s mouth with a kiss to keep her distracted and hoped Futaba would eventually quiet down. He thought it was funny when they did that for him since all he did was make an attempt to keep his rival from leaving. This time, not so much as even he felt offended by Haru’s derogatory insult. 

Noticing Akira keeping Sumire occupied with his lips like the idiot he was, Akechi looked at the other sane people in the bar. Makoto gave him a sorrowful look, burying her face in her hands as she thought Ryuji obeying Morgana would be the worst thing that could happen tonight. Speaking of Ryuji, he gulped in fear of what Akechi’s decision was since he was no longer holding the door handle. If they were under different circumstances, Akechi would’ve laughed one more time at what he’s letting Morgana do.

Moving his eyes to Akira, who kept Sumire trapped in his arms so she wouldn’t move around so much, he watched him shake his head in disapproval. It’s as if his rival cared about him, mentally urging him that he didn’t have to do this if he felt uncomfortable.

But that was the problem. This sympathy he was currently receiving from the following people? 

He loathed it. 

Despite Haru’s words shaking him to the core and provoking him, the pity he was given damaged his pride. If Ryuji was able to get through round one, what’s stopping him from getting through round two?

Sending glares to the people who showed him signs of kindness, Akechi took a few steps towards the booth, hearing them all gasp. Scoffing at their reaction, he observed what everyone else was doing. Just as he predicted, Ann encouraged him to move faster so they could finish this round and move onto the next. Yusuke framed his fingers while Futaba got her phone ready to take photos, something they’ll most likely be doing with each round.

Standing directly ahead of Haru, she patted her lap and gave him a friendly grin that was coated with malice. It took a lot more effort than he expected to prevent himself from shivering, as the smile reminded him of the flashback he had when he reached the door. Unable to glare at her due to not wanting to suffer anymore than he should, he frowned as he accepted his fate. 

Akira, Makoto, Ryuji, and Morgana couldn’t believe their eyes: Goro Akechi, without any sort of reluctance, laid down across the booth to rest his head on Haru’s lap.

He looked up at her with a scowl from how content she was, disgusted that he was only doing this to show everyone he wasn’t afraid of her and that he wouldn’t allow his pride to be tampered with. Well, that was until she looked down and greeted him with the most malevolent smile he’s ever seen from her in recent memory.

Placing both of her hands on the side of his face, making him groan in exasperation, she forcibly pushed it so he would be facing away from her and would be facing everyone. The unforeseen shove caused his body to jolt in pain, unable to prevent an “oof” from escaping. If what he was enduring for the entirety of the game wasn’t mortifying enough, she began petting his hair like it was some kind of house pet.

“There, there. I’ll make sure that by the end of this, you will behave like a _good boy_ , Akechi-kun~!” It didn’t help ease his discomfort that when she said “good boy”, she tugged at a large clump of his hair.

Satisfied with her role as King, she gave permission for Ann to move onto the next round.

“You heard the King! Leeeeet’s begin round three!”

“THANK GOD!” With round two officially over, Ryuji did not hesitate in removing Morgana from his neck and slouching in his chair, giving Ann their pairs of chopsticks when she passed by.

“Eww, I can only smell Ryuji.”

“Shut up! Don’t you remember it was _your_ fault that we had to do this in the first place!?”

Morgana grumbled under his breath, hating himself for accepting the blame. Changing the subject, he asked him if he wanted to poke fun at Akechi for laughing at their earlier mess. 

“Hell yeah I do!” As if on cue, Ryuji’s attitude shifted as he laughed at what Haru was doing to him. 

“Sakamoto, I hope you’re aware of the repercussions your mockery-”

The deafening smack of Haru’s hand striking the middle of Akechi’s chest broke his train of thought, scaring all of the “normal” people while Lala and almost everyone else found it humorous.

Aching in pain, he looked up at her and tried to form an argument, only to get smacked again as she kept her malicious grin.

“You have to play nice if you want to be a _good boy_ , Akechi-kun! And that starts with apologizing right now!”

“Oh please, why would I-”

The sight of Haru raising her hand in the air made him flinch.

Swallowing the remainder of his pride, he glanced over to the blonde male and expressed his regret for what he said, only for Haru to force him to make his apology more proper. Left with no other choice, he restarted his apology.

“Sakamoto, I apologize-”

“For~?”

Annoyed that she assumed he wasn’t going to explain his reasoning, but not wanting to get struck again without being able to do anything back, he started from the beginning again.

“Sakamoto… I a-apologize for my rude behavior earlier.” 

“N-Naw man… I-It’s chill…” Ryuji found himself not enjoying the apology at all, most likely because of how Haru forced it out of Akechi through fear, not to mention how scared he got after witnessing her smack his chest.

“Good! I’ll make sure that by the end of the night, you’ll be a good boy, Akechi-kun~!” Haru went back to petting his hair, ignoring his displeased grunt.

Watching that entire interaction unfold from over her shoulder, Sumire tightened her arms around Akira.

“Aki-senpai…”

The gloominess present in her voice made him tune out everything around him, focusing all of his attention on her. 

“What’s wrong?”

“… You didn't call me Suuuuumi…”

“O-Oh… What’s wrong, Suuuuumi?”

She tensed her arms when she heard her name get called like that. 

“After our King hit Akechi-san, it made me think of something… If I disobeyed any of your orders, would you-”

He squeezed her tight, using one of his hands to hold her head in place as he gave her head a kiss.

“Never.” 

Just the idea of letting her finish her sentence made him sick. 

“I’m always going to protect you, no matter what. I promise.”

“… Good…” She loosened her grip on him as she stared into his eyes. 

Believing she wanted a kiss, Akira closed his eyes and allowed her to do the rest this time. He felt her raise herself up to reach his lips. However, something felt weird… 

Ten seconds passed and he didn’t feel their lips touch. Rather, he felt her lower herself back to the ground. Curious as to what was going on, he slowly opened his eyes to see her with a playful smirk. 

“Because thaaaaat’s what I’m going to do to you, Aki-senpai!”

“Huh-” 

It was during this confusing moment that she stole another kiss, jumping at him and forcing him to lean back on the counter to catch himself from falling.

“Futaba told me it’s the wife’s job to make sure the husband is aaaaalways listening! Sooooo, I’ll have to hit you to make sure you’re listening wheeeeen I’m the King!” She leaned really close to his face, flirtatiously whispering into his ear: “I prooooomise I’ll be gentle~.”

‘DAMN YOU, FUTABA!’ Mentally screaming her name did nothing to calm the severe amount of heat going to his face.

“Awwww! You looooook like me now, Akiii-senpai!” Sumire giggled into his chest, clutching the front of his jacket. 

“Wha-”

“Futaba showed me a picture of how red my face looks, and it was sooooo funny! Now, both of our faces are sooooo red! We’re matching!”

“Honey, you might as well propose now! All this talk is making me believe you both really are married!” Lala told him as she wiped the countertop, ruining his attempt to cool his blush.

“Akiii-senpai! Can I aaaaaask for a favor?”

“Y-Yeah sure… W-What’s up, Sumi?”

She let go of his jacket, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I don’t want to forget about tonight, especially our marriage…” She gave him a squeeze, placing an emphasis on marriage in case he didn’t pick it up. “If I forget… Caaaan you remind me?”

“O-Of course…” 

If he was being honest with himself, he wasn’t entirely sure if she really wanted to remember the events of tonight. While he could definitely use _a_ bunch of what has transpired so far as teasing material in case she ends up forgetting everything, he was afraid he might actually go overkill and accidentally shut her down. Though, he _really_ wanted to have some sort of revenge after everything she’s done to him.

“You’re the beeeest!” With a peck on the lips, Sumire released him from her grasp and ruffled his hair. “I’m going back to Futaba now! Promise that you’ll behave, okaaaay? And doooooon’t follow me! If you follow me, then nooooo more kisses!”

The cheerfulness from her words brought a warm smile to his face, unable to resist the amount of cuteness she has.

“I promise I won’t follow you and I’ll behave, but only if you behave too.”

“You’re fuuunny, Aki-senpai! I aaaaaalways behave, buuuut I promise! If I don’t, theeeen…”

“I can poke your waist?”

“Deal! Buuuut that won’t happen, because you said I’m the beeeeest wife! And the best wife is aaaalways a good girl! Soooooo, I’m leaving!” 

And just like that, Sumire booped his nose with her index finger before spinning around and skipping back to where Futaba was, grabbing a pair of chopsticks from the cup Ann was holding as she handed them out.

“Have a safe trip!” 

He couldn’t resist completing the farewell, fully aware she didn’t hear it as she was too busy giggling with Futaba. But he didn’t care. If this farewell was a glimpse to what their future will be like, then he will definitely take advantage of using it. 

“Yes! I have been selected as the chosen one!”

Instantly catching everyone’s attention was the King for round three: Yusuke.

“Ughhh Yuuuuuuusuke! You weren’t supposed to look at what you got until everyone got their chopsticks!” Ann pouted as she stomped the ground.

“I would apologize, but it’s impossible to resist the urge to look upon spotting the color difference this pair had compared to the other ones I’ve previously attained!” Yusuke said as he shoved his set in the air, letting the warm lights of the bar coat them majestically. 

“Fiiiiine. But wait until everyone gets their numbers before you say your order!”

“Those beneath me shall have my word!”

“… You know, it might’ve been because all I saw for ten or more minutes was Ryuji’s neck-”

“Did you forget it was  _ your  _ fault!?”

“But Yusuke’s ‘drunk’ too, right?”

Morgana’s question piqued the interest of Akira, Makoto, and Ryuji. With Ann approaching them to hand out their chopsticks, the three of them studied the eccentric’s face after reaching out to the cup. They found his face to be red like everyone else’s, puzzling them all since his reasoning for prematurely looking at his chopsticks sounded like something he would normally say.

“Here you go, Akechi-kun~.” 

“Urgh.” 

The small exchange between Haru and Akechi caught their attention, witnessing her handover his set over before petting his hair again. None of them found the urge to laugh, however, as they didn’t want to accidentally anger Haru and cause her to act more aggressively.

“Nooooow we can start! Take it away, King Yusuke!”

“The pleasure is all mine!” After giving Ann a bow for the introduction, Yusuke stepped forward with his hand over his face.

“I call upon…” 

Everyone watched his hand tense up, almost as if it was trying to grab something… 

“The number 8!”

Immediately after calling the number, Yusuke ripped his hand away from his face, imitating the action of ripping off his mask in the Metaverse to summon Gorokichi. 

“Woooooo! Let’s do it too, Sumireeee!” Futaba placed her hand on her imaginary mask and ripped it off. “Goooooooo! Al Aziiiiiif!”

“Yes Futaba!” With a dramatic twirl, Sumire tore away her imaginary mask. “Leeeeeet’s dance! Vaaaaaanadis!”

“We need to help them out, Akechi-kun! Come, Luuuuuucy!”

“… Loki.” 

“Don’t forget about meeeee! Get readyyyy, Ceeeelestine!” 

“I’m with you, Lady Ann! Come forth, my other self! Diego!”

“The hell’s goin’ on? And why’d you join them too, Morgana!? I swear, if it’s cause of Ann-”

“Umm…” Akira turned in his seat to look at Lala after overhearing Ryuji’s initial question. “I know it probably means nothing, but c-can you keep everything here a secret?”

For the second time tonight, Lala zipped her mouth shut and threw away the nonexistent key towards Sumire and Futaba. As she expected, the two girls stopped what they were doing and searched for the key again, bringing a smile to her face.

“Didn’t your King summon the number 8!?” Growing impatient, Yusuke’s eyes twitched. “I call upon my humble servant, who is the owner of the number 8 to arrive at once! Do not make me repeat myself!”

Futaba, still the same person at heart, called him a fraud and booed him since no one stepped forward. Sumire and Ann also berated their current King by calling him a jester with disobedient smirks after booing him. Akira took note of this, remembering to poke his beloved’s waist for misbehaving. To everyone’s surprise, Yusuke happily accepted his new role, going through the poses he made Futaba’s Phoenix Ranger Featherman R figurines do as he spoke.

“I am the King of my people! If they wish for me to become a jester, then so be it! So I’ll ask again, as the jester of his people… Reveal yourself, number 8!”

“Umm… You haven’t mentioned what they'll be doing yet…”

Everyone’s eyes went to where the voice was coming from, staring into a timid Makoto, who sheepishly raised her hand to speak.

“Ahh yes, I haven’t. But that’s only because I require them to arrive first. Do you know where that person is!? The jester can’t wait any longer!”

Makoto sighed, revealing the number 8 on her chopsticks. “… That would be me…”

“Woohoo! Makotooooo’s doing something!” Ann pulled her out of her seat and draped an arm over her shoulder. “Don’t be scaaaaared! It’s only Yusuke, soooooo it’ll be fun!”

“T-That’s what I’m afraid of…”

With Makoto now standing in front of him, Yusuke framed his fingers and gazed at her. She instantly felt uncomfortable being looked at in such a way, trying to hide her embarrassment from this feeling of violation by staring at the ground with her hands clasped in front of her. The fact that Yusuke circled around her did nothing to ease her discomfiture.

“Perfect!” Yusuke cried out, standing in front of her again as he dropped both of his arms to his sides. “You are the perfect model I could use for my next painting in the upcoming exhibition! I am grateful for your generosity, Makoto!” 

“T-Thanks? I wasn’t really generous since you forced me…”

“Don’t be like that, Makotoooo!” Ann slapped her back hard, causing her to jump from her anxiousness for becoming a model. “You didn’t ask for the beeeeest part yet!”

“B-B-Best part?”

“Yuuuuuuup!” Ann wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Ask him what you’re gonna dooooo!”

“A-Alright then…” Taking a deep breath and straightening herself up, she asked Yusuke what she’ll be doing.

“You don’t think he’s going to-”

“He can’t be  _ that  _ out of it… Right?” 

Ryuji and Morgana looked at Akira to see if he was thinking of the same thing. While initially confused as to what they could be implying, his mind flashed back to the middle of May, specifically when-

“I hope not-”

“You will be posing, like this!” Yusuke performed the pose he and Akira did when they were visiting the church in Kanda to study the anguish, later learning that it was actually the hope, of the crucifixion of Christ. 

Akira smirked at the funny memory Yusuke made him remember, accidentally frightening Ryuji and Morgana by doing the same pose out of nowhere. Sumire and Futaba, who took the obligatory photos, copied them, giggling on how ridiculous they looked as they used each other to maintain their balance. Haru told Akechi that he wouldn’t be able to join them since he has to learn how to be a good boy, who responded with a disgruntled grunt as that was all he could do if he didn’t want to get smacked again.

Makoto didn’t know how to respond to his order besides saying thank you and giving him a respectful bow while Ann giggled right next to her.

“I should be the one thanking you, my humble servant.” Yusuke also bowed as he continued to talk. “With you by my side, I’ll make sure all of your features are shown off properly in this nude painting!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a little backstory to why I waited three weeks even though in the previous chapter I said I didn't want to go a week without releasing a chapter haha... 
> 
> While I was writing the interlude between rounds one and two, a thought occurred to me. Originally, there were only going to be few rounds, similar to the King's Game in P4G. However, I realized what I was actually working with and asked myself, "What if I add more?" But that's not all! I also realized I had a "drunk" Sumire, which made me ask myself, "Why not add more Joker and 'drunk' Sumire moments on the side?"
> 
> And so, that's what happened. I thought I'd be able to get the entire game in one single chapter, but boy was I wrong. After looking through what I had and realizing that this is probably going to be at least 26k-27k words in total and having already reached 24k as I mentioned in the beginning notes, I had to split it since I know I wouldn't want to read a chapter that has that many words without taking breaks in between. Which honestly, probably was something I should've done from the start haha... 
> 
> Anyways, I hope these two introductory rounds made sense and helped set the tone for what's to come! I also hope the flashbacks Akechi had made sense, since I had a feeling I might be stretching things to make everything fit as I was also hesitant in those portions.
> 
> Special thanks to Lucky_Se7en for looking over those parts and helping me bounce off ideas on how to make it fit well within in this story! And special thanks to some1upoyo too for answering some rather broad questions I had!
> 
> Oh yeah! I also might go around and revise some of my previous chapter. I was rereading them sporadically and kinda cringed at how I worded things and the obvious punctuation mistakes haha... 
> 
> See you when part 2 is released!


	7. The King's Game (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game continues with nearly three rounds complete! What lies next for the Phantom Thieves? It's time to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest. I probably spent the last hour or so deciding on where I should split the chapter. After some thinking, I decided to put all of the finished rounds (roughly 6-7 depending on where you decide round 3 started) in here since I figured "why not, you've all been a lovely audience" lol. I'm so sorry for the word length... 
> 
> Now, let's keep it going!

**2/1/2017 - Crossroads**

“WHAT!?” Makoto felt her face burn a deep shade of red, immediately raising herself from her bow. “D-Did you just say what I think you said!?”

“Indeed, I did.” Yusuke also reclined from his bow and stated matter-of-factly, framing his hands to gaze at Makoto again before pounding a fist on his chest. “With my role as the jester now fulfilled, I have returned to my rightful place as the King! Therefore, anything I say must be carried out!”

“Thaaaat’s right, Makoto!” Futaba punched her fist into the air. “Because the King’s order…”

“Is absolute!” Sumire grabbed Futaba’s fist that was suspended in the air, finishing her sentence with much delight. 

“He did NOT just order Makoto to do THAT!” Ryuji shot a terrified glance at Morgana and Akira.

“He actually did it…”

Akira got up from his seat right after hearing Morgana and gave Ryuji a nod, who nodded back as he also jumped out of his seat, both witnessing her fury reach heights they haven’t seen recently.

“THERE IS NO WAY THAT’S HAPPENING!” 

Makoto got ready to throw a punch directly at Yusuke’s face, who welcomed it with open arms as he believed the more emotion she could show, the better it would benefit his art. He would’ve been knocked out for the rest of the night if it wasn’t for Ryuji restraining her in a full nelson, without clasping his hands behind her neck, and Akira standing in between them to create some distance.

“LET ME GO!”

“Nope! Can’t do that-” An elbow to Ryuji’s stomach knocked the air out of him, but he still kept his grip on Makoto to save Yusuke. 

“This unhinged anger! This is exactly what I need! Give me MORE!” Yusuke took a step toward her, only for Akira to give him a light push to keep them away from each other. “The more intensity you give me, the better this nude painting of yours will be!”

“AARGH! YUSUKE!”

Fully aware that Ryuji wouldn’t be able to handle Makoto by himself, Akira grabbed one of her flailing arms in hopes that it’ll help cool her off. To his amazement, he saw Ann grabbing her other arm, wearing a huge grin.

“C’mon Makotooooo! It’s not thaaaaat bad!” A few bops to her head from Ann appeared to do the trick, as the embarrassing blush across her face started to steadily die down. “It’s aaaactually really fun!”

“Ann, what makes you think ANY OF THIS IS FUN!?” While she was no longer flailing her arms to try and strike Yusuke, she was still seething heavily. “GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY THIS WOULD BE FUN!”

“Becaaauuuse you feel sooooo free!”

“Stop lyin’ to her, Ann! You didn’t even model nude for him back then!” If it wasn’t for Ann bopping her hand on top of Makoto’s head four times, Ryuji’s statement would’ve caused her arms to flail wildly again.

“Who saaaays I’m lying~?” Ann gave him a wink, giggling as she watched a soft coat of pink grow on his face.

“F-For real?”

“Stop being so gullible!” Morgana shouted from the chair he was on. “I guarded Lady Ann’s chastity with my life!”

“I don’t know Morgana, are you sure you did~?” She sent another wink towards Morgana.

“H-Hey! Stop m-messing with my heart! And yes, I am!”

“This is definitely inappropriate, right Lala?” Akira turned his head to find her leaning on the countertop with her head resting on her palm, expecting her to veto the order to get Makoto out of this mess.

Before she could say anything, Yusuke explained to her that all of this would be happening in his dorm due to the dim lighting and not having his art supplies with him. In other words, this would take place on another day. Reluctantly, she allowed the idea to pass since it wouldn’t be happening here, so long as an additional girl goes with her.

“I’ll goooooo! I’ve already modeled nuuuude for Yusuke once, sooooo I can share some tips!” After volunteering herself, Ann wrapped her arms around Makoto and placed her head on her shoulder to give her a comforting hug, forcing Ryuji and Akira to stop holding her back.

“Lady Ann… You’re lying… You have to be…” The two boys heard their feline companion sulking, unsure of how to comfort him besides stating the obvious: Ann doesn’t know what she’s doing.

“… Let’s just get to the next round…” Makoto mumbled while shooting a death glare at Yusuke, who was too busy studying her to care. 

With a deep sigh, she asked Ann to stop hugging her, muttering something under her breath that was picked up by Ryuji. The moment he saw Makoto return to her seat and Ann collect everyone’s chopsticks, he apologized profusely for having to hold her back the way he did, hoping to not become collateral damage from the hellstorm she was going to put Yusuke through. His begs for forgiveness fell on deaf ears, choosing it was more important to think about what she would do to their artistic friend in case he doesn’t forget about tonight.

Akira slumped his shoulders, fearful of what could happen if Makoto were to become King now. As he took his first step towards his seat, he felt someone tug the sleeve of his jacket. He looked over his shoulder to find Sumire right behind him, her head pointed at the ground. All he was able to see was her flowing crimson hair instead of her delicate garnet orbs behind her glasses.

“What’s wrong, Sumi?”

She didn’t say anything. Rather, Akira noticed her trembling.

“Sumi-”

She slowly lifted her head up, revealing tears forming in her eyes. The instant she tried to say something, he brought her into his arms, allowing her to cry silently into his chest. Taking note of his surroundings, the only individuals paying them any sort of attention were Lala, who overheard them while wiping the counter, and Futaba, who was giving him the “shame on you” hand gesture.

Listening to her sobs quiet down, Akira tried to run a hand through her hair, freezing when she shook her head. He then tenderly placed one of his hands on the side of her face, watching her slowly nod. Placing his other hand on her face, he sofly lifted her head up from his chest. With her puffy eyes now visible, he wiped away her tears with his thumbs, taking extra caution to not move her glasses too much.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” He pressed his forehead onto hers. “I’ll make sure of it, Suuuuumi.”

While she definitely met his eyes from how he called her, she shied away when she tried to speak. It wasn’t until Akira kissed her nose that she decided to speak again, mainly because she was promised a real kiss if she told him what’s wrong.

“… I-I’m a b-bad wife…”

For her self-deprecation, she received another kiss on the nose.

“Don’t you remember me calling you the best w-w-wife?” He couldn’t help himself from stumbling whenever it came to this marriage talk, certain his cheeks turned a pinkish hue. Shaking away his blush, he smirked as an idea popped into his mind. “Or do you want your new nickname to be dummy?”

Just like he predicted, a pout formed on her face while he kept his smug smirk.

“You’re a mean husband… You keep calling me a dummy when I’m noooot…”

“I know you’re not.” Wiping away the last of her tears, he gave her a stunning kiss. “And you’re not a bad w-wife either-” 

Unable to help herself, she buried her face into his chest, apologizing for behaving in such a way while squeezing him really tight. Given there was no context to her apology, besides calling herself a bad wife, he asked if she could explain what she meant as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He regretted asking for clarification when she loosened her grip on him and kept her eyes glued on the ground.

“… I was… J-Jealous…”

‘Wait, what?’ Akira tilted his head in confusion from what Sumire just told him. “Jealous?”

She nodded slowly. “I got jealous when you held Makoto-senpai’s arm…”

‘Huh?’

“When I saw how tightly you were holding her arm, it made me think you were cheating on me and that you wanted a divorce…” 

‘ _Huh_?’

“But Futaba told me you were only doing that so you could protect the King from Makoto-senpai…”

‘Wow, Futaba actually said something that wasn’t-’

“But she aaaalso told me she caught you staring at Makoto-senpai when Ann-senpai was explaining how fun it was to model nuuuude…”

‘FUTABA! WHY!?’

“I wanted to see for myself if it was true and if you really wanted a divorce…”

‘Sumire…’ 

“Or if I should have tried to volunteer instead of Makoto-senpai to model nuuuuude so that you would’ve held me back…”

‘SUMIRE!’ 

“But then you asked me what’s wrong and hugged me and let me cry in your chest…” She looked up, tears forming around her eyes again. “I’m a b-bad wife for thinking like that… I’m a d-dummy, aren’t I…?” 

Akira gave each side of her waist a pinch followed by two pokes, causing the remainder of her tears to fall in laughter as she collapsed in his arms.

“If you keep misbehaving like this, especially from believing everything Futaba says, then you’ll certainly become a dummy.” He pinched the sides of her waist again, making her suffer more in laughter while fighting the blush from imagining her modeling- 

“A-And the only eyes t-that should ever b-be on y-your bo- I mean, YOU are m-mine and only m-mine!” 

After successfully fighting off the blush and slapping himself for almost saying something indecent, he moved one of his hands from her waist to cup her chin prior to placing her under a spell, one of gratefulness and her reward for fulfilling the promise of telling him what’s wrong. It was impossible for him not to smile at the adorable smile that replaced her frown, finding it the perfect match for her red face. 

“But you’re already the best wife I could ever ask for.” 

“Oh Honey, you sure you don’t have a ring on you? You’re KILLING me with all of this love talk!” Lala told him while slapping his arm, keeping one of her hands almost covering her mouth so her comment could be discreet as possible.

“Lalaaaaa-sama!” Sumire wrapped her arms around Akira’s back after laughing from getting tickled and relaxed her head on his chest while calling to her. “Aki-senpai said I’m aaaaalready the beeeest wife, so it’s okay if he doesn’t have a ring now! Right?”

“Yup! That’s right!” He rewarded her positive change in attitude with a peck on her head, getting replied back with giggles while also rewarding himself with a mental high-five for not stuttering when he called her his wife. 

“Awwww! You two are soooo sweet!”

“Akiii-senpai!” Sumire gazed up at her husband with an infectious grin. “Caaaan I make a request?”

Akira answered her infectious grin with a taunting smirk. “I thought you had to be the King to make requests.”

She puffed her cheeks the moment she heard his rebellious remark. “But it’s a selfish one!” 

“Uh-um-” 

His eyes darted around the bar, trying to see if anyone picked up what Sumire just said. Luckily, it appeared only Lala heard the exchange, judging from how she was laughing to herself while washing all of the extra cups.

“I’m sorry for getting jealous and doubting you and wanting to be selfish right now, Aki-senpai…” She nuzzled her face into his chest, afraid that her request will be declined.

“Just this once, okay?” He ran a hand through her hair, happy to see her eyes meet his. “All of your other requests, no matter how s-selfish they are, have to be when you’re King. Promise?”

“I prooooomise!” She gave him a peck on the lips to seal the deal. “Caaaan I make my request now?”

He gave her permission with a pat on her head, enjoying the sight of her giggling from how overjoyed she was.

“Caaaan you give me a piggyback ride to Futaba?”

“What?” He blinked twice, unsure if he heard her correctly. “C-Can you say that again?”

“Of course!” She nodded joyfully while tightening her hug. “Give meeee a piggyback ride to Futabaaaa!”

“Umm, you know she’s not that far, right?” He wasn’t joking. Futaba was literally two steps away from them.

“But you said I could make a selfish one…” She stared up at him, trying her hardest to make a puppy dog face. “Pleeeease? I want to be seeeelfish…”

‘You’re making me seem like a bad guy now…’ Exhaling deeply, he turned around and bent his knees slightly with his arms somewhat opened. “Fine, you win-”

Sumire jumped on his back very energetically, almost making him fall face-first into the ground.

“S-Sumi-”

“I loooooove you, Akiii-senpai!” She wrapped her arms tightly around his collar and pecked his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. 

Peeking over his shoulder, he did his best in nuzzling his head against hers, unable to resist the sound of her blissful giggle. 

“I love you too, Sumire.”

“Suuuuumi!”

“Riiiight.” Akira stood up and made sure she was secure, taking the two short steps to where Futaba was. “I love you too, Suuuuumi!”

“I hope you apologized to your wife, Akiraaaa!” Futaba directed a finger at him, eventually directing it to both of them. “And what took you guys so looooong!?”

“Sooooory Futaba, but that’s a seeeeecret between me and my husband!” Sumire squeezed her arms around Akira’s collar before asking him to drop her down, hugging his arm when she touched the ground.

Since Futaba was in front of him, he flicked her forehead, savoring the sight of her recoiling in her seat.

“Heeeeey! What was that for!?”

“You gotta stop telling Sumire-”

“Suuuuumi! You keep forgetting even though I just told you, Aki-senpai!”

He poked her waist with the arm she was hugging in response to her “misbehaving”, satisfaction filtering through his face from watching her laugh as he gave Futaba a head pat with his other arm.

“You gotta stop telling Sumi all of these lies, especially since I DIDN’T stare at Makoto!” 

“Fiiiiiine.” The quirky girl slumped in her chair with her arms hanging at her sides. “But can you at least tell me what happened between you two? It’s not fair to keep secrets from your sister!”

“Tooooo bad, Futaba! I’m the beeeeest at keeping secrets!” Sumire tugged his arm, signaling him to lower himself so she could whisper something into his ear. “Like how I won’t tell anyone when I jumped on your back, you touched my b-u-t-t, Aki-senpai~.”

His face instantly shot up to atomic levels of red, astounded that she would even make such an accusation.

“N-N-NOPE! I DIDN’T!” He shook his arm free from her grasp and moved her directly in front of him, desperately shaking her shoulders while drastically lowering his voice to not warrant any unneeded attention. “I d-did NOT do that!”

“Futabaaaa look! Akiii-senpai’s red like me again!”

“S-SUMI!”

“What’s wroooong? I said I wouldn’t tell anyone, right~?” She flirtatiously told him with a wink paired with a kissy face.

‘SHE’S TOO DANGEROUS TO BE LEFT ALONE!’ 

He couldn’t shake her anymore, not after getting hit by another one of her winks for the fourth time tonight. He remembered the moment she jumped on his back, 100% certain his hands were nowhere close to touching her-

‘SHE HAS TO BE LYING!’

“HAH! Sumireee’s right! Your face is soooooo red! Yesssss!” Futaba jumped out of her seat and slapped her back rather roughly, forcing Akira to catch her as she gave him a big hug.

“I’m sooooo happy you always catch me! You’re the beeeest husband ever! “And for thaaaaat…” It didn’t take long for her appreciative grin to transform into a smug smirk as she gripped one of his hands on her back securely and slowly started to lower it. “I’ll let you touch my b-u-t-t again~.”

“S-S-S-SUMI!” Using all of the dazed strength he could muster, he pried his hand free from her grasp and held her face with both hands. “I d-didn't touch your b-b-b-b-bu-b-b-bu-”

“I know!” 

“H-Huh!?”

She poked his forehead with two fingers, giggling to herself. “I saaaaid I know!”

“W-W-Wait a minute…” He needed a minute to himself, all while watching a giddy Sumire bounce in place. “So, you mean to tell me… T-That you were j-joking the entire time!?”

“Mhmm! You were soooo cute when you fell for it!”

Akira let out a _very_ heavy sigh. “Unbelievable.” 

Having heard his sigh and his response, she shied away with her mood dropping substantially. “I’m sorry I got you mad, Aki-senpai… I’m not good at pranks…” 

She released him from her hug and, ready to pay for her actions, tried to create some distance between them to give him space. She didn’t expect herself to get pulled into a tight embrace from her beloved so quickly.

“I never said I was mad.” 

He pinched her nose with a smile, watching her whine from how he keeps doing that. He suggested if she’d rather get her waist poked instead, causing her to whine more from how it’s rude of him to abuse her ticklish spot like that. While she went on a tangent about all of the other things he’s teased her for, she felt her chin getting lifted up again. Knowing what followed next, she closed her eyes and waited for her husband to do the rest.

Ready to enchant her once more, he thought of a brilliant idea. He leaned his face close to hers, snickering at how restless she got from waiting. He made sure the presence of his lips were felt when he leaned even closer. Just when he made her believe she was going to receive her long awaited kiss, he moved swiftly next to her ear and whispered:

“You’ll have to be King if you want another kiss.”

Sumire did NOT like hearing that at all. Her attempts at freeing herself from the hug she was in to raise herself to kiss him failed, getting immobilized gradually from how she was held onto tighter the more she squirmed. To top it all off, he kissed her cheek multiple times, finding it humorous, yet painful, when he denied her request for a real kiss. Whenever she moved her head in an attempt to steal a kiss aimed for her cheek, he would peck the top of her head instead, making her complain even more. Feeling that he’s done enough damage for now, he gave her nose one final peck as he tried to stare at her red orbs with a disgusting smirk. 

“I love you sooooo much, Suuuuumi!”

She didn’t say anything back. Matter of fact, she made sure he knew exactly how she felt by pouting directly at his face before pushing him away, going back to her seat with her arms folded across her chest. When he tried to tell her something, she let out a “hmph!” and moved her head to anywhere else that avoided him while keeping her eyes shut.

“Gee Akiraaaa, you’re so ruuuuude!” Futaba rubbed a hand along Sumire’s back to help ease her irritation while keeping a finger pointed at him. “You can't do that to your wife! She’s jooooking!”

“But isn’t it my job, as her husband, to tease her since she gets to tease me?” Akira flashed his infamous smirk at her for a second.

“WOAH.” Again, Futaba stared at him as if he spoke the words of God. “Sorry Sumireeee, but it’s his job!”

“Hmph!” Sumire carefully opened one of her eyes to see if he still had his disgusting smirk on his face, moving her head the other direction when she spotted it.

‘Can she stop being so cute already?’ Shaking his head to clear that thought, he walked to her and kissed her head.

“I’m going to go back to where Ryuji, Makoto, and Morgana are, okay? I’m leaving…”

He studied her reaction to his farewell, commenting to himself on how it was very cute that she still refused to look at him.

“Have a safe trip… Meanie…” 

He really wanted to kiss her after being called a meanie to prove her wrong, but he thought it would be funnier if she actually became King and made it her mission to have him kiss her. With a warm smile and a pat on her head, in which she grumbled and called him the biggest meanie, he walked back to his seat. The instant he sat down, he leaned back and gazed at the ceiling in exhaustion, letting his arms dangle freely at his sides.

“Uh, everythin’ good man?” Ryuji didn’t expect to see his best friend this tired from anything that didn’t involve the Metaverse. “Didn’t expect a piggyback ride to do that to yah.” 

“Yeah… Just a little mentally drained, that’s all. Oh, and the piggyback ride wasn’t the problem.”

“After what Sumire did to you, I can’t really blame you…” Morgana’s comment jolted Akira out of his drained state.

“You h-heard all of that!?”

“Huh? Did somethin’ happen between you two?”

“N-No! I only heard the parts where you both talked louder than usual!”

“Oh… Okay…” Akira sagged in his seat again, relieved no one head Sumire’s lie of him touching her-

“B-By the way! H-How’s Makoto?” He changed the subject when he knew his cheeks were about to gain a pinkish tinge.

Ryuji and Morgana pointed their heads over to where Makoto was. He was shocked to find her sitting alone at the end of their side of the counter, somewhat disappointed in himself for not noticing her gone when he came back. He wasn’t entirely sure, but it appeared as if she was plotting something based on how focused she looked… 

“Oh yeah, I got this for yah while you were with Sumire.” Ryuji reached out behind him and handed Akira a pair of chopsticks.

“Ann passed them out already?”

“Eh, sort of. We kinda convinced her to give ‘em out so we wouldn’t have to wait-”

“Aaaalright! Time for round four since Akira and Sumire have their chopsticks!”

“Well, best of luck to you two. May the best King win.” Akira’s small rallying cry certainly helped in boosting Ryuji’s and Morgana’s previously injured morale.

Round four began with the three boys shuddering when Makoto announced herself as the new King, who was then dubbed as Queen by Ann and Futaba to match her codename. The first thing she tried to do was end the game so they could all go home. Ann and Futaba forced her to change her mind, mainly because she despised being called a killjoy with Futaba taking it a step further by saying she enjoys being dull and boring. She offered number 4 an ultimatum; they could either restrain the previous King or they could help her in relieving some unnecessary stress. 

Unsure what the second portion of her request entailed, Ryuji ran over to Yusuke and held his arms behind his back, revealing himself to be number 4. While Makoto took her time stomping her way to the two boys, Yusuke couldn’t contain his eagerness to bask in a portion of the vehement emotion she would bestow upon him in his art piece, begging for her to walk faster. Standing directly in front of him, she clenched her fist and winded her arm back, inadvertently provoking Akira, Morgana, and Ryuji to wince from the incoming impact.

As she was about to show his soul why Ryuji and Futaba won’t stop calling her the Fist of the Phantom Star, Lala disapproved of her idea. Since she could understand where Makoto was coming from, however, she suggested a compromise. Resuming her previous stance, she launched a haymaker at Yusuke’s face. Right before her fist slammed into his face, she opened her hand and slapped him with so much force, Ryuji felt a gust of wind brush across him. After dusting off her hands, she turned around and sat next to Akira, exhaling deeply prior to asking Lala for a cup of water.

While Akira, Ryuji, and Morgana were terrified from what just happened to their now unconscious friend, taking note of the vibrant red handprint that lingered on his cheek, everyone else (minus Akechi) cheered for their King’s brutality. Futaba insisted on everyone calling Makoto Tyrant rather than Queen if she were to be chosen again based on how easily she got others to listen to her, much to her displeasure. She pleaded with all of the girls, an eager Sumire in particular, to stop asking her for guidance when they asked how they could make others obey them, hinting that all she did was be a little assertive.

“There’s no way that was _a little_ , r-right?” Ryuji feebly asked Akira when he assisted him in placing their friend in his seat, who just shrugged.

Once the two boys were confident they could leave Yusuke alone, letting his head rest on the countertop, Ann handed them the cup to choose their chopsticks and started round five. 

Akechi declared himself as the new King, raising his set into the air as evidence in case anyone doubted him. With much haste, he ordered Haru to stop petting his hair and allow him to leave her lap. She smacked his chest with more force than earlier, presumably getting inspiration from Makoto’s slap, stating it’s impossible for a King to rescind a previous order while also needing to guess her number. Sumire and Futaba agreed with this, finishing each other’s sentences when they declared the King’s order is absolute no matter when the order took place.

Groaning in annoyance that his only glimmer of salvation was taken from him, he resorted to his backup plan. He looked Ryuji in the eye with a smirk and challenged number 2 to a friendly duel tomorrow, emphasizing friendly so Haru wouldn’t smack him. Ryuji laughed at him for trying to act cool by calling his number, only to realize his number was actually called. 

Accusing Akechi as a cheater from how precise everything happened, Ryuji was advised to be more careful when he retrieves his pair of chopsticks and to not carelessly wave them around. Lala added her own input too, telling him to use both hands when handling them so no one could see his number. Deciding it was impossible to talk his way out of it, and not wanting to look like a coward in front of all of his friends, he gave Akechi a similar looking grin from his awakening back in April and accepted his duel.

Feeling a hand pat his shoulder, Ryuji wasn’t surprised to see it come from Akira.

“Just know when to call it quits, alright?” 

“You got it man!”

“Why of course.”

With his order being resolved in record time, Akechi allowed Ann to collect the chopsticks and begin the preparations for the sixth round. 

While Ann let Lala shuffle the chopsticks, Akira subconsciously gazed at Sumire, accidentally melting his own heart from her allure. Even with her face being extremely red, seeing her smile so happily with whatever shenanigans she was doing with Futaba _almost_ made him feel guilty for being adamant on not kissing her unless she orders it. He was eventually knocked out of this trance when he realized she was also staring into his eyes with little embarrassment that she was caught.

Before he had the chance to sheepishly wave and apologize for making her feel self-conscious, she pouted and immediately looked away. He would’ve chuckled and grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the cup when Ann passed by, but he swore he saw Sumire peering at him over her shoulder. It was almost as if she wanted him to stare at her… 

Deciding to observe her for a little bit to test out a theory, he continued to look at her in the most obvious way possible to watch her reaction. The moment she noticed his eyes were on her, she made sure he saw her puff her cheeks before turning her head the other direction. He then moved his eyes toward the wall behind her, witnessing her peek at him over her shoulder through his peripherals. As soon as he set his eyes on her again, with her being aware of it, she pouted and turned her head. 

This happened four more times, twice in which he moved his head away from her to try something new. When he believed he was being stared at, he looked over to see her already pouting and moving her head. It’s like she’s trying to tell him he’s no longer allowed to stare at her anymore with her knowing and that he’s not supposed to catch her staring at him since she’ll know he’s looking at her. 

‘Please… Stop being so cute… I don’t know how much more I can take…’ 

He found the urge to resist pleading with her to stop exceedingly difficult when he figured out this new game she was playing with him. He was so close to dashing to her side, picking her up, and giving her the awaited kiss just so she can stop using her cuteness as a weapon. Luckily for him, Ann broke him free from his temptation by waving the cup in front of him. 

With his chopsticks now in hand, Ann announced the start of round six, thrilled that she’s finally the King for having introduced the game for everyone. She required the number 5 to tell everyone an embarrassing story about themself, preferably something that happened in the past year. Groaning and calling this game rigged and stupid, Ryuji raised his hand and voiced his resentment on how he got called three times in a row, asking Lala for a glass of water when he finished his rant that was met with laughter from everyone minus Akira, Makoto, and Yusuke (who was still passed out).

Morgana insisted on him telling the story he’s been avoiding to share as a joke, only for Ann to double down by demanding him to share it unless he wants to be called a chicken. Knowing there was no way out, and not wanting the duo of Sumire and Futaba to continue making chicken noises at him, he glared at the cat as he accepted his fate.

Ryuji told everyone how he and Akira went to Shinjuku back in mid-June to meet a journalist so they could gather information on a certain “group” to help Makoto out, accidentally making her feel guilty since she blackmailed them to comply in the first place. Lala pointed out that while she and Ohya met Akira, she didn’t remember meeting Ryuji until now. He explained that while they were walking to Crossroads, an officer stopped them and deduced they were high school students based on his pants looking similar to Shujin Academy’s uniform, forcing them to take a small detour to lose him. Makoto and Akechi were visibly annoyed from how he made an easily avoidable mistake, causing him to hang his head low. Upon finally making it to the bar, he decided to stay outside since he was technically still in uniform and could be easily spotted. 

After waiting for what felt like ages, Akira regrouped with him in front of the movie theater and debriefed him on what he gathered. Ready to head home and discuss their findings with everyone tomorrow, he found himself getting singled out by two older men. They urged him to follow them so they could help him get dressed in drag upon witnessing him eyeing Crossroads. 

“And then HE just let them take me away!” Ryuji pointed his hands at Akira, still annoyed to this very day at what happened. “All you did was tell me I’d be a natural!”

“Oh Hon, but you are! I could already imagine which outfits would look perfect on you!” Lala seemingly agreed with Akira’s comment, not taking into consideration that it was meant as a joke. 

“Urgh.”

While everyone was busy ridiculing Ryuji’s misfortune, Makoto gave Akira a disapproving look. “How could you let him get taken like that?”

Even after all of these months, he still felt bad for ditching him since he was also afraid of getting taken. Giving his best friend a pat on the shoulder, he waited until they looked each other in the eye.

“Hey, Ryuji…” Akira instantly felt the nerves hit him from something that was long overdue. “I’m sorry for making that joke and leaving you behind…” 

Ryuji leaned towards him, giving him a bro hug as he kept an arm wrapped around his shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it man. After sharin’ it with everyone, it ain’t that embarrassin’ anymore. Hell, it’s actually pretty funny!” 

With the two bros cackling at the now funny memory, Ann went around and gathered the chopsticks to start round seven. Much to their horror, they didn’t need to wait for Ann to ask who the next King was, based on the evil giggles they heard. Nodding to each other to help boost their morale, they looked in the direction of the laughter and sighed at the craziness that could happen under King Futaba.

Having permission from Ann to state her demand, Futaba declared number 7 to yeet Morgana at Yusuke’s face so he could stop sleeping the night away, who was forced to change the order to yeet Morgana at his chest since Lala didn’t want his damaged face to get even more hurt. Morgana tried to argue with Futaba to stop treating him like a toy, but was silenced when she and Sumire told him he has to follow the King’s order because it’s absolute, especially when Lala approved of it during the start of round two. 

As always, Akira examined the pair in his hand, ready to watch another round from the sidelines and intervene if he needed to. This time, he noticed the set he was holding had the number “7” written on the top. He blinked twice and even checked the back of the pair to make sure no one was pulling a prank on him. Realizing that his number was really called, he adjusted his glasses, threw his chopsticks in the air, somehow came close to removing his jacket by spinning in place, and caught it, revealing that he’s the one that gets to, in Futaba’s words, yeet Morgana.

He briefly asked Futaba what exactly he’s doing just to make sure he doesn’t ruin this one time opportunity while adjusting his jacket, who described it as throwing something with a lot of force while yelling “yeet!”. Noticing Morgana shaking from how he’s about to be treated, he rubbed his partner’s back to ease him of his troubles, secretly asking Lala if she has a spare handkerchief he can borrow. Once he was handed the handkerchief, he rapidly wrapped it around the cat’s chest, surprising him since he didn’t know something was tied on him until he noticed.

Appreciating Akira for tying something similar to a harness on Morgana so he doesn’t have to be held by his collar, Futaba ordered Ryuji to move Yusuke to a seat against a wall so he doesn’t end up falling from the impact. It took some time, but Ryuji was able to move Yusuke’s limp body to the chair that awaited him, making sure he was secure and angling his head up so that it was easier for the cat to be aimed at his chest.

“You ready for this?” Akira ran a hand across Morgana’s back one last time.

“No… But I don’t have a choice…” 

“Whenever you’re ready, Akiraaaa!” Futaba readied her phone for a picture after giving him a thumbs-up.

“Sorry about this.” 

“No… You’re not…” 

Ignoring the last thing he said so he doesn’t second-guess himself, he grabbed his partner by the handkerchief around his chest and hoisted him in the air with a wicked smile. He looked directly at Yusuke, making sure he didn’t miss his target while winding his arm back.

“This is for telling me to go to sleep! YEET!”

Akira chucked the cat at blinding speeds at Yusuke, instantly waking him up from the collision as they both yelled out an “oof!”. Admittedly, he may have gone a little overboard with the amount of force he used in his throw, but there was a special type of joy following this chance of a lifetime that outweighed the amount of regret he should’ve been feeling. Seeing as how everyone else was laughing, with Futaba abusing her role as King to further mock Morgana and Yusuke, he laughed with them, promising his feline companion that he’ll get him some fatty tuna when all of this is over.

Calming down from his laughing fit, he was unable to resist the urge to look at Sumire, who was initially laughing too until she realized he was staring at her, pouting and moving her head away as a result. Chuckling lightly at her adorable stubbornness, he walked over to her and hugged her tight. To his surprise, she returned the hug with a tight squeeze of her own, resting her head on his chest while staying seated in her chair.

“Can I get a kissss now, Aki-senpai? Pleeeease?” 

“Can’t do that unless you’re the King though, no?” He ran a hand through her silky hair with a smile.

“You meanie… I’ve been a good wife too, ever since you didn’t give me a kissss…” 

“I don’t think a good wife would be upset with me for admiring her beauty.” He playfully bopped the top of her head twice.

“That’s because you can’t…”

“Oh? I can’t what?”

“... Do what you said anymore…”

“Ahhh.” He smirked at her. “What did I say again?”

Despite hiding her face in his chest, he could see hints of pink behind her redness and a small smile take shape. 

“… Admire my beauty…” 

“So that’s what it was!” Surprised that she didn’t stutter from her self-compliment, he bopped her head once more. “And how come I can't admire my lovable wife?”

“Because you don’t want to be a good husband and give me a kissss…” She squeezed him to get her message across, trying to keep her smile hidden from him. “I caaaan look at you since I want one… You caaaan’t because you’re a meanie…”

“What about this?” He kissed the top of her head. “Can I look at you now?”

“Nooooo…”

He gave her another kiss on her head. “How about now?”

She continuously shook her head in defiance, unknowingly causing Akira to laugh since she was starting to nuzzle his chest. 

“Hmm, I could be wrong, but didn’t you tell me you ALWAYS wanted my eyes on you?”

She froze the moment he pointed that out. 

Akira leaned towards her ear, making sure the next set of words came out very softly and teasingly. “I also caught you staring at me very impatiently earlier, almost as if you wanted me to look at you the entire time…” 

She slowly lifted her head up, now pouting at the smugness plastered across his face. Aware she was going to move her head right after, he pecked her nose. She grumbled from all the fake kisses she’s been receiving lately, turning her head away from him with a “hmph!”. It didn’t take long for him to kiss her cheek three times, making sure he kissed her nose again on the third one when she turned her head to try and trick him into kissing her lips. 

“UGHHH YOU’RE THE MEANEST HUSBAND IN THE ENTIREEE WORLD!” She gripped Akira by his waist, jumped out of her seat, and, using her gymnastic strength to lift him up a few centimeters off the ground, spun them around so now his back was leaning on the counter before burying her face into his chest again. “YOU’RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL I’M KING AND ORDER YOU TO GIVE ME A KISSSSS! AND THAAAAT’S FINAL!” 

He wasn’t sure how to explain it, but there was something about Sumire’s assertiveness from wanting a kiss so badly, most likely from how “drunk” she was and how that affected her selfishness (he didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing), that he found her demand very charming. For that, he moved her bangs and gave a lingering kiss to her forehead. It certainly wasn’t the kiss she wanted, considering that she grumbled and called him a meanie upon receiving it, but it definitely conveyed his unconditional love for her.

“I’m looking forward to what the _cutest_ wife in the world has in store for her mean husband when she’s King.” He squeezed her tight. “I guess I have to tell Ryuji and Makoto I’ll be staying here, huh?”

He felt her exhale into his chest. “I’ll let you stay for one round then… Only if you do something for me…”

“Anything-” He mentally cursed at himself when he realized he allowed Sumire to ask for a kiss.

“Call me the cuuuutest wife in the world again… And maaaaybe you won’t be the meanest husband in the entire world aaaand can hang out with Ryuji-senpai and Makoto-senpai after staying with me…”

Sighing in relief that she took his rule of not kissing her until she’s King seriously, he ran a hand through her hair and asked if he could call her by her entire name and stare into her precious eyes. With a groan accompanied with a pout, she allowed it.

“Sumire Yoshizawa.” He planted a kiss on her head, holding back a laugh when he saw her still pouting. “You’re the cutest wife in the entire world, and I’m lucky I’m able to be selfish and call you mine.”

She failed in keeping her cheeks puffed at him, eventually hiding her face in his chest so he wouldn’t see her face become even more red, not that he would be able to tell ever since her chugging contest with Futaba and Yusuke. He was able to see traces of pink surrounding her red cheeks though, pleased to know she loved his comment.

“Ughhh you’re a cheater, Aki-senpai!”

“H-Huh!?” 

Maybe she didn’t love it after all… 

“You were ONLY supposed to call me Sumireeee, not Sumire Yoshizawaaaa… Aaaaaand ONLY call me the cutest wife in the entire world, not tell me how you’re lucky to be seeeelfish with me and call me yooouurrsss…”

She tightened her arms around him. “You cheater…”

It took her a few seconds of their shared embrace for her to speak again. 

“But hearing you say those things…” She raised her head so she could gaze into his grey orbs with a hearty grin. “Made me reeaaally happy! Sooooo happy, that you’re not a meanie anymore!” 

‘Yes!’ He gave himself a mental high-five-

“Because noooow, you’re a dummy!”

‘O-Oh…’ He couldn’t hold back his laughter from being promoted from meanie to dummy. It was a ridiculous, yet super sweet, ranking system she probably created just now.

“Caaaan I yell something into your chest? Pleeeease? I prooooomise I won’t be too loud!”

He smiled warmly at her and nodded, moving one of his hands to the back of her head to guide her to his chest. 

She prepared herself for what she was about to do, releasing his waist so she could clutch the front of his jacket.

“I LOOOOOOVE YOU, AKI-SENPAI!”

He was amazed at how muffled her shout really was, guessing he was the only one who heard it since everyone else was occupied doing their own thing. He looked down at Sumire, who welcomed him with one of the most heartwarming smiles she’s gifted him tonight. Well, when she was “drunk” to be exact. No longer able to fight his impulses, he closed his eyes and lowered his head, ready to give her the long awaited kiss she’s been wanting for the past twenty minutes. 

To his shock, he found his nose getting pecked instead. Opening his eyes, he watched Sumire ruffle his hair and giggle. 

“Nooooo kisssses, Aki-senpai! You told me noooo kisssses until I’m the King! So you’ll have to be a gooood husband and wait, like meeee!”

Akira chuckled at her sudden change of no longer wanting a kiss unless she specifically orders for one. “I guess I really am a dummy, huh?”

“Mhmm! You’re the biggest dummy in the entireeee world!” After beaming him a bright smile, she rested her head on his chest and relaxed in his arms. “You’re an even bigger dummy for forgetting something…”

“Or maybe I wanted to trick you into thinking I forgot.” He twirled locks of her hair around his fingers. “I loooove you, Suuuumi!”

“You remembered this time, Aki-senpai!” She nuzzled his chest very fondly, enjoying the sound of the quiet chuckles that escaped him. “I’m sooooo, SO happy you finally remembered!” 

“Heeeeey are you both done yet?” 

Barging in on their delicate moment, they turned their heads to see Futaba impatiently waiting for them with the cup holding two unclaimed pairs of chopsticks in her hand.

“We can’t start the next round if you two keeeeeep canoodling! And you’re not allowed to gawk at my sister, Akiraaaa!” 

‘Wait, gawk!?’ He felt offended by Futaba’s words, pretty sure he doesn’t look stupid when he’s staring at Sumire… ‘Great, now I’m a little self-conscious.’

“Doooon’t worry, Futaba! Aki-senpai got promoted from meanie to dummy!” Sumire let go of his jacket to wrap her arms around his neck, standing on the tip of her toes so she could rub her cheek on his cheek. “Soooo he can look at me as much as he wants to again, like he’s supposed to since heeee’s selfish and said I oooonly belong to his eyes!”

“S-Sumi! N-Not so loud about that last part!” Hearing her say confidential information like that so blatantly made his cheeks turn rosy, embarrassed that she said that in front of a “drunk” Futaba of all people. “J-Just hand us the cup already!”

Now that they had their chopsticks, Futaba signalled Ann to begin round eight. Wondering how Morgana and Yusuke were feeling after the previous round, he searched around the bar to learn they moved right next to him and Sumire, with Yusuke petting Morgana as if he was using a paint brush. How they didn’t notice their presence baffled him, questioning if their earlier canoodling, as Futaba would say, was truly at fault. He did point out to himself how Yusuke’s face was still red, a little scared he didn’t come back to his senses after having been knocked out by Makoto.

Following Ann asking who's the new King, everyone was shocked to find Morgana having the red pair. To all of the regular people’s utter disappointment, he demanded the same thing he asked when he was the first King: a kiss, get carried, and be nuzzled on their neck with affection for a _really_ long time by the number of his choosing. Trying his best to not mistakenly call Ryuji’s number again, he thought hard before gaining enough confidence to call the number 3.

Once again, he stared at Ann in hopes of calling her number. And once again, she fooled him by acting like she was called while giving him a wink. Already accepting how worse this situation can get, he freed himself from Yusuke and went next to Ryuji, puckering his lips. 

“Uh, what’re you doin’?”

“What does it look like I’m doing!?”

“Dude, you got the wrong idea.” 

As evidence, Ryuji showed him his number was 9.

“S-So if I didn’t call you or Lady Ann, t-then who did I-”

On cue, a hand snatched him and brought him to their mouth. The regular people were disgusted from how straightforward it was while the “drunk” people congratulated the duo on getting things done fast. Sumire was an exception, who asked Akira to cover her eyes so she wouldn’t get jealous and be tempted to kiss him.

“Morgana-senpai doesn’t understand how lucky he is to get a kisssss, especially when he ordered it…” She grumbled in Akira’s arms, who decided to pinch her waist to distract her further in case covering her eyes wasn’t enough despite her protests.

Gasping for air the instant he was freed from the smooch, Morgana begrudgingly peeked at the individual who grabbed him with no hesitation, seeing traces of blue hair within his field of vision.

“I will award you with the amount of affection you rightfully deserve, compared to what Ryuji offered, my King!”

Almost immediately, Yusuke shoved the cat face-first into his neck, vigorously rocking him back and forth to assist with the nuzzling. Morgana believed if he put in an additional ounce of strength to what he was doing, he would’ve been smothered. 

“Chop-chop people!” Ann jumped into the air while tossing her pair of chopsticks in the air, everyone clapping as it landed perfectly in the cup. “Let's get round nine going so Morgana and Yusuke don’t get tooooo familiar with each other!” 

“Lady Ann, you’re too kind and considerate!” Morgana thanked her through haggard breaths.

“I must expand my affection so you will too see me as kind and considerate, my former King!”

“Argh! Yusuke! T-Tone it down! You’re going to suffocate me!”

While Akira observed the interaction between Morgana and Yusuke, snickering at the intensity that was added to the rocking, Sumire released him and turned around so her back was facing him.

“You can go to Ryuji-senpai and Makoto-senpai now…” 

He didn’t like seeing her like this, even if she wasn’t exactly coherent. Finding a new opportunity in front of him, he wrapped his arms around the front of her waist, resting his hands on her stomach to give her a back hug. He watched her shoulders tense up before taking a deep breath, falling backwards into his chest.

“You dummy… You’re making this harder than it should be…” She looked over her shoulder and pushed his face to the side with one of her hands to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Do you haaaave to leave now?”

“You’re acting like I’m going to be gone forever, you dummy.” He grinned as he wrapped his arms further around her waist and peeked over her shoulder. “I’m only going to be a few seats away. I also thought you can’t be selfish unless you’re the King.”

“I knoooow…” She placed her hands on top of his, fiddling with his fingers so she could interlock them with hers. “That’s why I’m being a gooood wife and being patient so I’m not seeeelfish… So I could order you to kisssss me… But you just haaaaad to hug me like this… And I’m nooooot a dummy… You are, Akiii-senpai!”

It was entertaining to witness Sumire trying to wrestle with his hands. He closed the gaps between his fingers, sandwiching her fingers between his in the safest way possible. She struggled all she could prior to surrendering, pouting from how he didn’t let her win.

“Can’t you stay with me until we find out who the next King is?” Her pout softened to puppy dog eyes. “I proooomise I won’t ask for anything else…”

‘You’re making me feel like a bad guy again…’ 

Sighing at how his teasing backfired, he kissed her cheek, accidentally squeezing her waist from where his hands were. The sounds of her cheerful giggles from the kiss and tickle melted his heart.

“Only if I can get a promotion from dummy to best husband in the world again.”

“You dummy, you’ll aaaalways be the beeeest husband in the world…” She closed her eyes, leaning back to kiss his cheek again while she relaxed in his warm embrace. “But you got it, Aki-senpai!”

“Thank you, Sumire.” 

“Suuuuumi! You’re doing that on purpose!” Once more, she tried to wrestle with his fingers.

“Only because you get to correct me, Suuuuumi!” 

“Honey, come here! There’s this place I know that can sell you a ring for a good price! And it’s still open! Want me to make a call?” Lala told him very subtly, taking extra care to not raise her voice too much in the chance Sumire overheard her.

“It’s okay Lala, there’s no need for that.” He sent her a cordial smile for the kind gesture.

Seeing that Futaba already got her pair of chopsticks and Ann was close to handing them the cup so they could choose when he looked at Lala, he almost asked her to set his chopsticks on the counter. He stopped halfway when he felt Sumire move his hand, with her hand still on top of it, away from her waist and towards the cup. He looked at her confused, unsure what she was planning. It was then he was met with another wink.

“Together, Akiii-senpai!”

“T-Together…” 

Just like that, they grabbed their respective pair of chopsticks and kept it a secret from each other, with Akira trying to calm his blush from receiving another one of her winks. 

“King of round nine! You know what to doooo!” Ann launched a fist in the air, ready to find out who it’s going to be. 

Akira felt Sumire stiffen in his arms while they studied their chopsticks. Mindful that she wasn’t ready for him to leave yet, he tilted his head over her shoulder and pecked her cheek. Her soft, sorrowful laugh was painful to hear, so he poked her waist to lighten her mood. It all went according to plan, as she shifted herself to where she hid her face in his chest to laugh to her heart’s content.

“Heh heh heh! Guess who just reclaimed their crown as the ultimate King?”

“NO! You are NOT going to force anyone to throw me again!”

In case the maniacal laughter wasn’t a dead giveaway, Morgana’s bickering made it obvious who the King was. Akira shook his head, starting to get annoyed from how Futaba got to be chosen again so soon.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” He got ready to kiss Sumire’s head, only to stop when she shoved a hand at his face. 

“Noooo… It’ll make me want you to staaaaay…” She pinched his cheek and wiggled it, not caring about how she was hurting him a little. “When I let goooo, I’m going to close my eyes and count to threeeee… By three, you have to be gone so I don’t miss you tooooo much…”

“And if I’m not gone?”

She pinched his cheek harder and wiggled it one last time, ignoring his small cry of pain as she let go and closed her eyes.

“One…” 

She freed him from her hug.

“Twooooo…”

She felt herself get lifted off the ground, silently screaming an “eep!” but happy regardless to be carried so effortlessly, being placed in a way where her back was against the counter. 

“Two and a haaaaaalf…” 

With her eyes still closed, she felt him poke her waist before letting go and moving away, unable to resist giggling and pouting from getting tickled. 

“Threeeee…” 

Sumire opened her eyes to sight of her beloved embracing her in a benevolent hug, returning it with a smile as she kissed his cheek.

Akira pulled back so she could see his own smile. “I’m leaving, Suuuuumi!”

“Haaaave a safe trip, Akiiii-senpai!” She nodded brightly to his farewell, watching him walk away as she listened to Futaba ramble to herself on what she should force people to do.

Akira reclaimed his seat next to Ryuji and Makoto just in time to hear Futaba scream her order, catching Yusuke nuzzling Morgana on his neck through the corner of his eye.

“I demaaaand numbers 6 and 9, heh heh, to gloooomp 4 and 2!” 

“Remember Dear, don’t break anything.” Lala told the quirky girl sternly. 

“Got it, God Lalaaaa!” 

“Yesssss! I’m nuuuumber 9!” Ann brought both of her hands in the air and waved them. “Whoooo am I glomping~?”

“Looks like I'm gettin’ glomped, whatever the eff that means.” Ryuji sighed in relief but also in annoyance for the amount of times he got ordered to do something.

Akira studied his pair of chopsticks, unsure how to feel when he saw the number “4”. He checked to see if Sumire got picked. If he was going to get glomped, he would prefer it to come from her. Sadly, he watched Futaba comfort her, who seemed to be in the middle of a heartfelt apology. It was as if she knew his number was called while hers wasn’t… 

‘Crap, if she’s not going to glomp me, then who-’

“Umm, King Futaba!”

‘Oh no.’ 

“Can’t you see I’m busy trying to cheer up my sister, Makatoooo!”

“S-Sorry. B-But, who actually is glomping who? The way you called the numbers wasn’t entirely clear…”

“Makotoooo! I thought you were listening since you always listen!” She covered Sumire’s ears so she could block out what she said next. “Don’t make me repeat myself! My sister is veeeery sensitive to this stuff because she can’t glomp her husband, you hear!?”

‘She really did know I got called… Dammit…’ Akira disheartedly slumped in his chair, unsure how to explain things to Sumire so she doesn’t get even more sad.

“U-Understood…”

“All you other underlings better listen up!” She smirked when she saw Ann, Makoto, and Ryuji stare at her, but scowled at Akira for also being called.

‘Don’t look at me like that! This is all your fault!’ He shot a glare back at her.

She grumbled and made sure Sumire’s ears were covered. “I’m only going to say this once, so paaaaay attention! I don’t want to make Sumire feel worse! Nod if you understand, my underlings!”

Everyone nodded. 

“Good!” She took a minute to herself, trying to remember the numbers she called again. “That’s right! Number 6 will glomp number 4, and number 9 will glomp number 2! Now begone and start the glomping! Actually, wait! I gotta tend to my sister first!”

“I guess I’m doing this to one of you…” Makoto sighed, setting her pair of chopsticks on the counter and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Akira took this chance to check her number for confirmation, just so he knew who was going to glomp him. Not that it mattered, considering that having Ann or Makoto do that to him was a lose-lose situation. If holding back Makoto’s arm was enough to make Sumire cry, he didn’t want to know what this indecent thing Futaba thought of would do to her if she was forced to watch another girl do it to him.

“H-Hey, Ryuji!” Thinking as fast as he could, he looked at his best friend, who was already looking back at him with a grin and patting his shoulder.

“Don’t worry man, I gotcha.”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah dude! From the way you were actin’, it was kinda obvious what the problem was.” He motioned for Akira to lean his ear to him so he could talk more quietly. “I also remembered how Sumire was after we held Makoto back from, you know, ending Yusuke… I didn’t watch a lot since I wanted to give yah both some privacy, but it was kinda easy to guess what she was cryin’ about. Well, to me at least.”

“Y-Yeah…” He wasn’t too sure what to say other than a thank you for the generosity.

“Ehh, for everythin’ you’ve done for me, this ain’t anythin’ too special.” Ryuji rubbed his index finger across his nose. “I always got your back bro!”

“Just like how I always have yours!” 

The two proceeded to bro hug, where Ryuji took this time to tell Makoto about Akira’s dilemma. Understanding the issue at hand, and feeling remorseful for becoming part of a previous problem, she agreed to switch numbers with him so she would be on the receiving end of Ann’s glomp.

“If you want, we could also switch numbers so-”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it man.” Ryuji patted his back. “What’s another order where I gotta do something embarrassin’ gonna do to me anyways? If anythin’, this sounds totally better than what Morgana had me do.”

“Hey! I might be occupied with something, but I could still hear you know!” 

Hearing him yell from Yusuke’s neck made them burst out in laughter.

“Alright peeps! Let the glomping begin! The glomper shall go next to their King while the glompee stands by the door!” Still covering Sumire’s ears with her hands, Futaba demanded for numbers 6 and 4 to go first.

“I still don’t know what I’m doing…” Makoto mumbled as she stood up from her chair, Akira and Ryuji nodding in agreement.

“Cheer up, Makotoooo!” Ann slapped her back when she passed by. “All you gotta do is staaaand still and open your arms! I’ll do aaaaall of the work!” 

“O-Okay, I guess?” She did what she was told, watching Ann walk roughly three meters across from her.

“GOOOOO!” With a nod and shout coming from King Futaba, she allowed the glomping to commence.

Makoto looked at Ann, feeling nervous from seeing her assume something similar to a running stance. Remembering all she had to do was stand still and open her arms, she firmly planted her feet on the ground. She then opened up her arms, deducing Ann was going to run up to her and use her momentum to lift her up from the ground. If this was a question on an exam, she would’ve received partial credit.

The moment she opened her arms, Ann charged at her in a similar fashion to how she escaped Kamoshida’s or Futaba’s palaces. Or in other words, she ran like hell.

“MAKOTOOOO!”

“W-W-Wait! Ann!”

With her life flashing right in front of her, she tried to wave her arms in front of her to signal Ann to tone it down a few notches so they don’t get hurt. This only made Ann run even faster.

“A-ANN-”

Everyone witnessed Ann tackling Makoto to the ground with an echoing thud _._ Futaba howled like a madwoman from the ludicrous deed she forced her servants to do while keeping Sumire’s ears covered. Lala gave a concerned look to the King, asking Akira and Ryuji if she’s okay. With a despondent nod, mainly from the realization of what they’ll be doing to each other, they told her this was how she always acts with her absurdity multiplied ten-fold from how she’s “drunk”, earning a laugh from her. 

“Morgana! Do you require a glomp as well!? If you desire more affection, you shall have my word!”

“Yusuke! I’m fine! I don’t need a glomp from you!”

“Then I shall increase the nuzzling to compensate for the lack of it!”

“GAAAH!”

“Is there anybody here you want to glomp, Akechi-kun~?”

“No.”

“Good! Until I say you are a _good boy_ , I will not allow you to glomp anyone! Do I make myself clear~?”

“… Understood.” 

“I said~, _do I make myself clear~_?”

“U-Understood, Okumura-san!”

The only things Makoto remembered was an “oof” she was unable to keep suppressed when Ann tackled her, the sound of them crashing onto the floor followed with pain, and the giggles from what appeared to be an uninjured Ann. 

“Wooooo! Wasn’t that fuuuuun, Makotoooo?”

“S-Sure… C-Can you please get off me? I can’t stand if you’re clinging onto me like this…”

“Awe, but you said you had fun… Fiiiiine.”

Ann loosened her arms around Makoto, sending her a cheerful grin as she propped herself up from the ground and wobbled back to her booth. Since they were up next, Akira and Ryuji offered Makoto a hand to help her stand. She gladly accepted their assistance, hoisting herself up from the ground prior to dusting herself and going back to her seat.

The two boys gave each other a nod, mentally preparing themselves so they don’t make the same mistake as Makoto. Ryuji walked the same amount of meters Ann did, taking a deep breath when he rotated to face Akira. 

Aware of how fast his best friend could run from when trained around their school, Akira made sure his feet were positioned properly and bent his knees slightly to better support himself.

“Alright Ryuji, give me everything you got-” 

Through his peripherals, he caught sight of Sumire hiding her face in the crook of Futaba’s neck with her ears still covered. He looked towards their direction, heartbroken to see her peeking through her hair with sadness written all over her face.

“Erm, r-ready when you are…”

Ryuji could tell from Akira’s current mood that no matter what, this was still a lose-lose situation for him. Getting out of his running stance, he went to the counter and asked Lala if she had an extra handkerchief he could borrow. To his luck, she had an extra one she was happy to let him use. He handed it to Akira.

“You know what to do.” Patting his back with a smile, Ryuji walked back to his spot and did some preliminary stretches while he waited.

Since Sumire wouldn’t be able to hear him, he asked Futaba if he could borrow his girlfriend. She initially said no, forcing Akira to ask again with a groan, changing his words so she would order him to borrow his wife. Liking his choice of words, she allowed him to go to them.

Standing in front of them, he tapped Sumire’s shoulder. She shook her head, accidentally tickling Futaba, who was no longer able to cover her ears due to laughing too much. 

“Sumi, can I borrow you for a second?”

Able to hear again, she jumped to her beloved and embraced him.

“You can borrow me forever…”

Intentionally coughing to himself to try and drive away the blood rushing to his face from her comment, failing horrible because of Lala’s laughter at the exchange, he started tying the handkerchief around her eyes. Or rather, on top of her glasses to block her eyes.

“Akiiii-senpai… I can’t watch you get glomped…” 

“That’s the whole point, dummy.” 

“I’m not a dummy…” 

After patting her head, he wrestled with her arms that were securely wrapped around him. Not expecting her to fight back so much, an idea popped into his mind.

“I’ll let you glomp me without an order when you’re King if you let me move your arms.”

She stopped resisting when she heard his proposal. He guided her arms back to Futaba’s shoulders, who had calmed down from her earlier laughing fit. Covering Sumire’s ears once again, Futaba ordered Akira to get back to where he was so Ryuji could glomp him already. With a pinch to Sumire’s nose, he went back to his spot and got himself ready for Ryuji, nodding to let him know he’s ready.

Still a little embarrassed, but glad that he’s doing this to his best friend out of everyone here, Ryuji sprinted at Akira. Feeling like he had too much momentum going, Ryuji jumped in the air and closed his eyes, preparing himself to land in Akira’s arms and crash into the ground. 

To his and everyone’s shock, with the exception of Sumire who couldn’t see anything, Akira caught Ryuji and maintained his balance perfectly. It didn’t take long for everyone to start laughing at them, however, based on how Ryuji was holding onto Akira. Confused as to why they suddenly became the laughingstock of the evening, they looked at each other and immediately found out why: Ryuji had his arms and legs wrapped around Akira, who also had his arms around Ryuji, in a _suggestive_ way.

Akira did not hesitate in dropping Ryuji on his back.

“Ow…”

“Sorry man…” Akira offered out a hand.

“Naw, don’t worry about it.” Ryuji reached out and grasped it, letting himself get pulled to his feet by his best friend.

“I don’t mean to rain on your parade, but you have time for one more round before you should all go home. It’s getting rather late for you all to still be here.” Lala advised them all, signifying the end of the round nine. 

“You hear that, Yusuke? The rounds over! Now. Let. Me. Go!” It took some effort, but Morgana freed himself and got as far away as he could from him.

“You heard Lalaaaa-sama! One more round so leeeeet’s make it count!” Ann slid out of the booth and gathered everyone’s chopsticks into the cup like there was no tomorrow. 

After patting Ryuji’s shoulder, Akira walked over to Sumire to remove her blindfold as well as shoo away Futaba’s hands from her ears.

“One more chance for you to become King, which means one more chance for you to get a kiss.” He playfully told her the instant he stared into her red orbs again.

“Aaaaand your last chance to get any more of my kissssses, Akiii-senpai!” She chimed back ruffling his hair.

“W-What?”

“If I’m not King, theeeeen no more kisses! Foreeeeever!” 

“Y-You’re joking, right? I mean, I was-” He was silenced when Sumire clamped his mouth shut with her hand.

“Nooooope!” Sumire draped an arm over Futaba’s shoulder, who was currently giggling to herself. “Futaaaaba told me if you said to neeeever kiss me again until I’m the King, then I shouldn’t either!”  
“Thaaaat’s right, Akiraaaa!” Futaba pressed her cheek on Sumire’s face. “So that means if Sumire isn’t the next King, theeeeen her lips are sealed from you for the rest of your life!”

“A-And you’re okay with this, Sumi!?” He definitely did not like the sound of that. “W-What if you forget and we k-kiss later?” 

“Hmmm, I don’t know… Futaba! What should I do?”

“Hmmm… I know! You can’t gawk at my sister anymore!” 

‘Dammit, Futaba! I DON’T gawk at her!’ He held back the need to flick her forehead from feeling self-conscious again. 

“But… I want him to stare… His eyes are tooooo special to me… And he deserves to stare because heeee’s selfish and belongs to meeee... Like how he lets me be selfish since I belong to him…” Sumire looked at Futaba, quivering her lips and fluttering her eyes in hopes that she’d change her mind.

‘Sumire… Don’t say stuff like that…’ He grabbed a pair of chopsticks when he saw Ann pass by without her noticing, trying to use his stealth to distract the vast amount of blood rushing to his face.

“I’ll, umm, give you both some space to think.” 

He felt someone tug his sleeve the moment he was about to walk away from them. Looking over his shoulder, he expected Sumire to peck his cheek. Instead, he was greeted with a pinch and a wiggle on his cheek.

“If I’m not King and we kisssss, then thiiiiis will be your punishment!” She pulled his cheek until it bounced back to his face, lightly smacking the now visible red spot. “And doooon’t worry, Aki-senpai! I already promised I’ll be gentle~.”

Knowing that she purposefully whispered that last part, he poked her forehead for making his faded blush come back with more intensity, smiling as he watched her laugh while rubbing her forehead. He used this chance to go back to sit with Ryuji, Morgana, and Makoto, only to see Lala waving her hand when he sat down.

“Honey, I think one of my lights by the door is flickering. I’m sorry to ask when you’re playing with your friends, but can you act like you’re walking in here from the door and look up?”

“Yeah sure! I don’t mind, especially after everything you’ve done for us tonight.”

“Oh Honey, you’re too kind!”

Akira did what Lala asked, setting his chopsticks on the counter with the number side face down before standing near the door and studying the lights angled above.

“Which light was flickering again?”

“I’m not too sure. It was something I noticed from the corner of my eye earlier when your friend was glomping you, so it might’ve happened recently. I know it was definitely the two by the door though.”

“Got it.”

He continued to study the lights for a few more seconds, placing his hand under his chin. After more time passed, he remembered something. Back when he got ready to catch Ryuji, none of the lights flickered. If they did, he would’ve noticed them himself because all of his experience of staying on-edge in the Metaverse.

“Lala, with all due respect, I don’t think-”

“AKIIIIII-SENPAI!”

“HUH!? S-SUMIRE-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, only one round remains before they all head home per Lala's decree. I was originally going to pair round 9 and the final round together, but something about the way this chapter ended felt like a much better break-off point compared to what I had planned first, which was where Sumire was counting. 
> 
> So yeah, the final round gets its own chapter, which hopefully isn't too long? Still in the process of writing it so it could take a while until the next update.
> 
> Oh yeah, I was able to fit a total of 6-7 rounds (depending on if you count round 3 happening in this chapter or the previous one) because I made "short" rounds, which were mainly the middle of the chapter along with "drunk" Sumire and Akira doing their thing. If all of the "short" rounds were written with the same length as regular rounds, then there would've been waaaay more chapters and words to compensate for that haha. So hopefully the "short" rounds were enjoyable in how they were structured along with the regular rounds!
> 
> Once again, thank you for being a great audience! Until next time!


	8. The King's Game (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final round of the game has begun! What did Sumire yelling Akira's name lead to? It's time to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, you might be thinking why the number of chapters changed again... which will be explained in the end notes!
> 
> Other than that, I don't believe there's anything left to say than to have fun! Please...
> 
> Now, let's continue the game!

**2/1/2017 - Crossroads**

“AKIIIIII-SENPAI!”

“HUH!? S-SUMIRE-”

If it wasn’t for Sumire shouting his name, Akira wouldn’t have had enough time to position his feet properly and ready his arms to catch her. For the split second he saw her, she had one of the most joyous smiles he’s ever seen in his entire life, second only to when they confessed their love for each other. It was definitely a precious sight worth admiring. What was rather frightening, however, was how she was literally flying through the air with her body parallel to the ground, scaring him to death if she wasn’t caught.

Fortunately for both of their well-beings and safety, he caught her mid-flight while she encased him in her arms. Even then, he didn’t expect her to dive at full speed, forcing him to stagger backwards against the door to prevent her momentum from making them fall. 

“OOF!” Listening to Sumire giggle in his arms did nothing to soften the collision between the door and his upper back, taking extra caution to make sure her arms didn’t get hurt, but it was definitely a treat to see her so bubbly.

“Akiiii-senpai! It happened! I’m soooooo happy it actually happened! I-”

“W-W-Wait, Sumi! H-Hold on! S-Slow down!” 

Unable to keep up with her excitement, he poked her waist with the expectation of calming her down. Apparently, exploiting her ticklish spot only made her more excited. Left with no other choice, he puckered his lips and went in for a kiss.

“Tsk tsk, Aki-senpai! Someone’s getting toooo impatient!” Sumire pinched his cheek and wiggled it, just as he expected. 

“W-Well, someone hasn’t told me what-”

“Thaaaaat’s because I wanted to surprise you! I know you loooooove surprises, like when you saw me wear this dress for the first time!” She stopped pinching his cheek to pat his face, embracing him again when she felt his face had enough pats. “It made me sooooo happy when-”

“S-Sumi?” He rubbed a hand along her back to get her attention. “I-I don’t think you surprised me yet…” 

“Whaaaat? But my glomp…” She looked up to meet his gray eyes, fluttering her red ones in response. “I finally got to glomp you too…”

“N-No! I loved your glomp! It was, umm, wait…” He recalled what he said after tying the handkerchief over her glasses. “Did you really-”

Based on her giggles and how she reached into her coat pocket, he knew her answer.

After rummaging through her pocket, a playful grin formed on her face as she whipped out her pair of chopsticks. It was impossible for him to hide a smile from how animated she was when she revealed herself to be the final King. Considering how everything played out, it almost seemed too perfect… 

“Hey Lala, you didn’t happen to-”

“Of course not, Honey! Your wife had the same chance to be King like everyone else!” Lala waved a hand in front of her to dissuade his belief from this perfect scenario. “Though, I’ll be completely honest. The exact moment she got her chopsticks, you happened to walk away. I just HAD to help her get part of her wish after what you said!”

“Lalaaaa-sama is the beeeeest, Aki-senpai!” Sumire rested her head on his chest after booping his nose with the end of her chopsticks. “She reeeeaaally knows how much I love you!” 

Deciding now was the best time to grant her long awaited order, Akira lifted her chin and closed his eyes. As he was ready to meet her lips, he felt his cheek getting pinched and wiggled again. He opened his eyes to be welcomed with another one of her mischievous smiles.

“And I thought the one who wanted a kisssss badly was meeee!” She continued to wiggle his cheek while giggling. “Someone reeeeaaally misses my lips~!”

“Wasn’t that what you ordered-” He was interrupted when he felt his cheek get pulled.

“Yooouuu’re a dummy, Akiii-senpai!” She released his cheek to pat his face again. “I didn’t say anything yet! Buuuut we shouldn’t keep everyone waiting! Let's gooooo!” She grabbed one of his hands around her waist and dragged him to the middle in front of everybody.

Upon reaching the center of the bar, Sumire let go of Akira’s hand and turned around, motioning him to stick his hands out with his palms facing upwards. He did what she asked with no questions, allowing her to gingerly place her hands on top of his with a jubilating smile.

“You knooooow, since we’re m-m-married…” 

For the first time since she got “drunk”, he heard her stutter. It was rather interesting, taking into account all of the things she did and said to him tonight that didn’t warrant her to act that way. He rubbed his thumbs on the top of her hands, giving her his support through the small gesture. Responding with a nod and a smile of her own, she restarted the last thing she said.

“Since we’re married, Aki-senpai… Aaaand I’m your wife… Aaaand you're my husband…” Saying all of that in a single sentence made her squeal in happiness and subconsciously swing her arms side to side, causing Akira’s arm to also swing with a warm smile that complemented her elation. “We haven’t had THE kiss to officially make me Sumire Kurusu! Sooooo-”

“Say no more. I’ll make this kiss one you’ll remember forever, Sumire Kurusu.” He took a step towards her and made all of the necessary preparations to cast a spell on her waiting lips.

“Awwwww!” Despite the cheesiness, Ann, Haru, Futaba, and Lala couldn’t resist reacting to the suave behind his words and actions.

Before he had the chance to close his eyes, she fell into his arms.

“Someone’s tooooo excited to give me a kisssss!” She giggled as she gazed into his gray orbs. “I didn’t even call your number yet!’

“O-Oh, right…” Prior to feeling dispirited from the likely chance she calls someone else’s number instead, a hand pushed his face to the side for his cheek to receive a kiss.

“Buuuuut don't worry, Aki-senpai! Because you’ll aaaaalways be MY number 1~.” 

Out of curiosity, Ryuji picked up Akira’s chopsticks to see what he actually got.

“For real!?”

“What’s wrong?” Makoto and Morgana simultaneously asked the same question.

“N-Nothin’. Just, look at this.” Ryuji showed them Akira’s chopsticks, specifically the top part where it read “1”.

“No way! Though, I’m not surprised. Why WOULDN’T Akira be number 1?” Morgana had to give credit to his partner for all of the things he did the past year, even though he was ignored since it made zero sense regarding the context of this game.

“Did she even know his number? What if she called the wrong person!?” Makoto started to think of all of the different scenarios that could have happened if Akira was forced to watch someone else kiss Sumire. 

“I’m sure if she called the wrong number, she’d ask for the player to restrain Honey so they could still kiss!” Lala offered her a glass of water to help ease her mind. “It’s actually similar to what you did to the pretty boy over there and how you had Hon restrain him while you slapped him.”

Makoto buried her face in her hands, shame washing over her from remembering the rage she put Yusuke (and partially Ryuji) through. With Lala doing her best to comfort her, they all went back to watching the interaction between Akira and Sumire.

“H-How’d you know my number?” Akira swore from the time it took him to look at the lights and for her to glomp him, she wouldn’t have been able to see what he got without him noticing, all while fighting the pink dust attracted to his face.

“It’s called looooove, Akiii-senpai! Because with looooove, you can do anything! Juuuust like how I knew you were number 1! Which reminds me!” She took a step back so they could hold their hands like they did earlier. “I haven’t ordered you properly yet!”

“Well, I think it’s pretty obvious what you want me to do, no?” He swayed his arms a little in an up-and-down motion, causing Sumire’s arms to sway in that direction as well.

“But… I want to order you…” If it wasn’t for her arms swaying the way they were, her puppy dog face would’ve dealt some serious damage.

Without any delays, he pulled her back to him, surrounding her with his arms.

“Heeeeey! That was dangerous, Aki-senpai!” Her attempted pout from moving so quickly failed, as her smile from the tight hug she was currently in wouldn’t go away.

“Don’t keep me waiting, Sumi.” He moved her bangs to kiss her forehead, staring into her eyes right after to listen to her demand.

“Akiiii-senpai!” 

“Suuuuuuumi!” 

The way they called each other’s names melted everyone’s hearts, with the exception of a groaning Akechi. 

“I waaaaaaant… A lovely kissssss! From… MY Joker-senpai!” She instantly buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist following her order.

He ran a hand through her flowing crimson hair with a pleased grin. “Anything for you, MY beautiful Violet.” 

“Honey, how many names do you two have!? I’m afraid I might die from how adorable you both are!” Lala squealed behind the counter, who had to apologize to an immensely terrified Futaba that she wasn’t really going to die.

He tried to move Sumire away from his chest so he could fulfill her order. Unfortunately, she was being somewhat stubborn in keeping her face hidden, shaking her head every time he tried to create a small amount of distance between them. 

“Sumire-”

“Suuuuuumi! You forgot again! You dummy!”

“Because I love it when you remind me, Suuuuumi!” Finding all attempts to remove her face from his chest end in failure, he went back to running a hand through her hair. “I also can’t give you a kiss if we’re like this-”

“Tooooo bad! It’s all your fault, Akiii-senpai!” She poked the middle of his forehead, returning her arm to his waist when his head bounced back.

“M-My fault?”

“You made me nervous!” 

“Nervous?” He tilted his head from her vagueness. 

“You didn’t give me a kissssss when you should’ve…” She mumbled into his chest.

“O-Oh…”

“If you kisssssed me when you were supposed toooooo… I wouldn’t have to wait until I was King to ask for one… But noooow… I’m neeeeervous… Nervous I’m going mess up our kisssss…” She raised her head to pout at him. “Ughhhh you’re a meanie again for making me nervous, Aki-senpai!”

“Well if you ask me, it looks like my delicate princess wants to be tickled while she receives her desired kiss.” He jokingly told her, twirling locks of her hair around his fingers.

“Nooooooo!” She defiantly answered back with a tight squeeze as she hid away. “It woooon’t work! And it will NEEEEEVER work again, you meanie princely prince!”

“No, it can’t be!” Gasping in feigned shock, he watched her look up at him with a grin. “Is my princessly princess no longer ticklish!?”   


“Yesssss! You tickled me tooooo much today! That means I’m not ticklish anymore!” She went back to hiding her face in his chest, unintentionally nuzzling him from how she continuously shook her head. “Sooooo I won’t laugh! ESPECIALLY because I’m nervous and you’re a meeeaanie!”

“Hmm… Can I try right now and see if you’re right?”

“Noooooope! You’ll have to be a goooood husband and believe the beeeest wife if you don’t want to be a meanie anymore!” 

Adamant in proving her wrong, he moved both of his hands to the sides of her waist. She froze when she felt the presence of his hands on her ticklish spot, pouting at how he doesn’t know how to listen. As she was about to move her head away from his chest to show him the pout he caused, he gave each side a small pinch, slowly increasing the amount of force used until she snickered more frequently. Having her fall right into his clutches, he stopped pinching her waist and immediately poked the same spot twice the moment she exhaled. She instantly removed her face from his chest, unable to hold back the urge of laughing uncontrollably from the amount of suffering she endured.

“Gotcha now!” With his Joker-esque smirk, Akira used this opportunity to place a hand gently underneath her chin and lift her head up, prepared to take in the sight of her gorgeous, ruby orbs behind her glasses. “Looks like someone lied-”

He noticed her eyes were focused on the wall rather than at him. 

“E-Everything okay, Sumi? I’m sorry I-” 

“It’s okaaaaay…” She nodded reluctantly. “It’s juuuust…”

“Just… ?” Her current behavior puzzled him, deciding he had no choice but to tap her forehead to try and cheer her up.

After recoiling her head back and seeing Akira stare at her with a gentle smile, she shook her head to throw off her hesitation and presented him with a soft smile of her own.

“After you made me laugh so much, I’m not nervous anymore… And maaaaybe you’re not a meanie… But it got hooooot… Be the best husband in the world and take off my coat, Aki-senpai!”

“H-HUH!?”

Just about everyone had the same reaction, as the entire bar was silenced after hearing what Sumire asked him to do.

“U-Umm, S-S-Sumi?” Akira felt his face heat up the instant his mind worked again. “C-Can you repeat that? I c-could be going crazy, but you, erm, wanted me to-”

“Oh… I messed up…” She muttered loud enough for him to hear, taking a step back to guide his hands to go underneath her hands again. “Can we start over… ?”

“O-Of course!” He felt his blush begin to recede when she seemingly confirmed her mistake. “So, we’re taking it from the top or-”

“I order you- Noooooo… I COMMAND you, Akiii-senpai, to unbutton my coat and take it off before you give me a lovely kisssss!”

“WHAT!?” 

He couldn’t believe it. She really DID want him to remove her coat. All because he made her feel hot from tickling her.

“Yeah Akiraaaaa! Strip off her coat!” Futaba shouted from her side of the counter, which was soon followed by Ann and Haru voicing their own comments.

“She saaaid she’s feeling hot, Akira! You better help her so you don’t break her heart!”

“I believe if your wife wants you to do something, then you should do it  _ without _ asking any questions, Akira-kun!” 

Haru tugged a large clump of Akechi’s hair to emphasize her point, not caring how she forced him to suppress a scream while smacking his chest to silence him. 

“Uhh Lala, ain’t this kinda inappropriate cause, well, you know…” Ryuji made an attempt to reason with her in hopes of getting Akira out of this situation. 

“Is she wearing anything underneath? It should be obvious, but-”

“Yes, she is…” Makoto sighed at the odd turn of events. “She’s wearing a violet dress…”

“She is!? Oh I need to see!” Lala waved at Akira to catch his attention. “Honey! I want to see the wonderful dress your friend told me she’s wearing!”

“Well Ryuji, at least you tried…” Morgana hopped onto his shoulder, knowing the only thing they could do for their leader was watch. 

“You heard Lalaaaa-sama, Akiiii-senpai!”

“B-B-But Sumi! T-This has to be a little embarrassing for you, r-right!? I-I mean, I AM r-removing a p-piece of clothing off of you!” No longer caring about the blush that refused to go away, Akira betted his life on Sumire’s self-consciousness, hoping by pointing it out and shaking her shoulders would do the trick.

To his surprise, Sumire calmly patted his head, preventing him from shaking her any further.

“You’re sooooo cute when you’re like this, Aki-senpai! Buuuuut…” She spun 180° and fell backwards, forcing him to wrap his arms around her waist to catch her.

She then held onto the hands that caught her and fiddled her fingers with his. Looking over her shoulder, she sent her beloved a polite smile and waited for him to look at her. When their red faces entered each other’s line of sight, she made sure he saw her smile transform into a smug smirk. 

“It got reeeaally hot after you made me laugh, soooooo…” She instantly secured both of his hands by placing her hands on top of his and feeding her fingers through the gaps between his before bringing them to the collar of her coat, where the first button was. 

“S-S-S-SUMIRE! H-HEY! SUUUUUUUMI! UMM, K-KING!?”

Calling her name did nothing, as she just giggled while guiding his hands through the motions of unbuttoning her coat’s collar. All Akira could do was wish she didn’t take her time, considering how he couldn’t move his hands since she’s currently using a vast majority of her strength to keep them still. 

‘Can this get any worse?’ He wasn’t sure how much more of this mortification he could handle, starting to regret all of the times he teased Sumire out in the open as he viewed this as her way of punishing him.

Aware that she was savoring this moment, he diverted his attention from her and looked up. He was welcomed with the eyes of everyone with varying looks. 

The trio of Ryuji, Morgana, and Makoto were uncomfortable with what he was allowing Sumire to do to him, finding it difficult to not watch them because of Yusuke. While keeping his hands framed in front of him, he pestered the trio to keep watching so they wouldn’t miss out on the true beauty of intimacy, calling them out every time someone tried to look away. Haru continued to pet Akechi’s hair while covering his eyes with her other hand, vexing him further when she told him good boys aren’t allowed to watch these types of things between couples. Lala encouraged Akira to pick up the pace so she could see the glamorous outfit Sumire was wearing based on Makoto’s brief description, where Ann and Futaba decided to send the pair their own words of encouragement too.

“Yeah Akira! Do what Lalaaaa-sama says and show us that dresssss!”

“Unbutton that too while you’re at it, Akiraaa!”

“I’m sorry Dear, what was that?”

“C’mon, God Lalaaaaa! I’m juuuust messing with them! There’s noooothing to be worried about, I sweeeaaar!”

“… Mhm…” 

At least watching the small interaction between Lala and Futaba helped distract his mind from what Sumire was doing… until she used his hands to pop the collar of her coat open when she finally finished unbuttoning it.

“Yesssss! One down!” She freed one of his hands to place her own hand on the back of his head, pushing it over her shoulder to kiss his cheek and whisper: “Only four more to go, Aki-senpai~.”

That was all it took to break his mind, not that there was any part left that wasn’t already broken. He spun Sumire in place so she would be facing him and securely wrapped his arms around her waist. Using no effort whatsoever, he lifted her up in the air and squeezed her with the expectation that she would be too busy giggling to say anything.

“Woooooo! Look, Akiii-senpai! I’m as tall as you now! Raise me higher so I can be even taller and touch the top of the gymnastics woooorld! Maybe I’ll even reach the moooooooon!” 

“Why do you have to be so cute and dangerous…” Akira muttered that out of the blue as he pivoted around to walk to the door. 

“Because you looooove me when I’m like thisssss!” She pushed herself higher into the air by using his shoulders as a boost, kissing his forehead multiple times as she continued to giggle. 

“Isn’t this the first time I’ve seen-” He froze the moment he felt her lean down to his ear.

“Now don't get tooooo comfortable and forget to take off my coat, okay~? Unless you think you could make me forget by touching my b-u-t-t, Aki-senpai~.”

“Uh, c-can you guys, umm, l-look away and give us some p-privacy? Maybe hang out f-for a while? P-Please? T-Thank you…” 

Akira looked over his shoulder at everyone when asking for that favor, not caring how visible the redness in his face intensified the more Sumire teasingly whispered to him. With some nods and a few grunts from everyone, who all took note of the deep blush on his face, they all moved their heads away from the two love birds and conversed amongst themselves. Well, almost everyone. A certain gremlin chose to be stubborn and not listen.

“Lala?”

“Yes Honey?”

“M-Make sure to k-keep Futaba’s eyes away from u-us.”

“Of course!” Almost immediately, Lala used her hands to block Futaba’s attempts at watching Akira unbutton Sumire’s coat.

“T-Thanks again, Lala…”

“Don’t mention it, Honey!”

No longer the center of attention, Akira wasted no time in secluding him and Sumire by the door, gently placing her back against it when her feet touched the ground.

“H-H-Hey, S-Sumi…”

Through haggard breaths, Akira focused his eyes towards the ground, placing both of his hands next to Sumire’s head on the door to prop himself up. He didn’t expect powering through all of the things she whispered to him, most of which were borderline inappropriate for Lala’s standards, to be THAT mentally taxing. Finally having the time to cool off the heat that remained on his face for the past five minutes, he took a single deep breath.

“Y-Yes, A-Aki-senpai?” 

This was the second time he heard her stumble over her words since she got “drunk”. He hesitantly raised his head to look at her, afraid of what he could see. Sure enough, she had a terrified look on her face, staring into his gray orbs with her trembling red ones. 

Without thinking, he moved his arms away from the door and wrapped them around her back, pulling her into a loving embrace. 

“I’m so, SO sorry, Sumire! I didn’t mean to scare you! I swear I wasn’t mad when you-”

His apology ended prematurely when he felt her returning the embrace with her own respective feelings of love, taking it a step further by also adding cherishment through the act of planting a prolonged kiss on his cheek.

“I wasn’t afraid, Aki-senpai… It’s just…” Once again, she avoided her eyes.

For that, he pecked her nose so they could stare into each other’s eyes. “Just… ?”

After a few seconds of silence, she pinched his cheek and wiggled it while puffing her face and turning her head. 

“You didn’t call me Suuuuuumi! King Suuuuuumi, in fact! It’s not fun correcting you every-”

She was stunned upon feeling her own cheek getting pinched and wiggled. She moved her eyes to look at the disgusting smirk across the only other person who had the audacity to defy her like that.

“And I don’t think you actually told me what’s wrong, King Suuuuumi!”

“Heeeey! You’re not allowed to copy your King, Aki-senpai!” She increased the pressure in her pinch and wiggled his cheek faster, forcing him to retaliate by doing the same thing.

“I think we’re going to end up hurting each other if we keep this up.” He chuckled from seeing a red mark grow on Sumire’s pouting cheek, positive his own face will have one to match.

“That’s because you won’t let gooooo! Buuuut…” She stopped wiggling his cheek, though she still continued to pinch it while he paused his respective wiggle. “I don’t want to hurt my huuuuusband anymore… And I don’t think my huuuuusband wants to hurt his wiiiiiife too, especially when she’s King and hasn’t told him why she wasn’t afraid!”

“How about this?” He eased up on the pinch, glad to know she returned the gesture. “We let go when I count to three-”

“Noooooo, Aki-senpai! I’M the King, so I’M the one that counts to three!” 

“… You’re so cute…” 

He was unaware how loudly he muttered until Sumire silently stared into his eyes. A heartwarming smile instantly replaced her pout and she wiggled his cheek again.

“Say it again!”

“S-Say what-”

“You knoooow, Aki-senpai! Your Kiiiiing demands it!”

“… Umm… You’re so cute?”

She wiggled his cheek faster. “Again!”

“You’re so cute!”

“Noooooo! Like how you said it earlier!” Standing on the tip of her toes, she turned her head and whispered so that if he were to say anything, it would go directly to her ear with the likelihood of him copying her speech pattern. “Your King waaaants to be selfish and be the ooooonly one to hear you, Aki-senpai~.”

Of course she had to mention her selfishness to make him shudder at the end. However, rather than doing what she wanted right away, he felt he deserved to get his own fun out of this scenario for what she did to him.

“Is that a selfish order, my King~?” He asked her very quietly and flirtatiously after collecting his bearings, chuckling from how she shuddered.

Much to his discomfort, she pulled the cheek she was pinching with the intention of him turning his head in the direction of where it was being pulled. It didn’t take long for him to feel her presence near his ear.

“It’s a selfish commaaaaand, Aki-senpai~.” She told him with the same quietness and flirtation he used, giggling at the sight of him shuddering before turning her head to listen to his response.

“Only if you count to three and tell me why you weren’t afraid, my selfish King~.”

Once more, she shuddered and pulled his cheek.

“Only if you do what your selfish King commaaaands, Aki-senpai~.”

And once again, he shuddered as she waited for his answer.

Of all the small activities they’ve done together, Akira will admit to this one being the strangest. He never would’ve guessed whispering back and forth with Sumire the way they were now to be really fun, though it’s probably because she’s “drunk”. If she was acting like her usual self, he was certain they wouldn’t be able to talk like this without her stumbling and her face becoming unknown shades of red. Not like that was a bad thing, since he loves how cute she gets whenever she’s like that.

He wiggled her cheek to indicate he was about to speak while leaning close to her, holding back a snicker when he felt his own cheek wiggle.

“You’re soooooo cute, King Suuuuumi.”

The moment she heard his tender whisper, she tried to bury her face into his chest (since it was still pinched) and squealed. Listening to her make such noises was music to his ears, hugging her tight with his other arm to reward her.

“Two…” 

Unaware that she already started counting, he listened intently so he wouldn’t continue pinching her cheek when she got to three.

“Two and a half…”

‘Just like last time…’ 

“Two and three quarters…”

Expecting her to say three, he let go of his pinch. As he tried to fix his mistake, she immediately moved her head to where it was now completely hidden and wiggled his cheek.

“Hey! You’re cheating-”

“Threeee!” She looked up from his chest, smiling very benevolently as she freed his cheek from the pinch and rubbed the red spot on his face. “The King tricked you, Aki-senpai! You thought I was going to count to three after I said two and a half, but I didn’t! And yooouuu fell for it!”

Able to see her face again, he placed his hand over the red spot that formed. As soon as he rubbed a thumb over it, she tilted her head, making it so that he would be holding her face.

“If you keep this up…” He sighed as he stared at the contentment she was in. “I might just go ahead and kiss you since you don’t know how to stop being cute.” 

“Toooooo bad, Aki-senpai!” She giggled while pressing both of her hands on the hand that was cupping her face. “You’re supposed to unbutton my coat before you give me a kissssss, remember~?”

‘She still remembers… Dammit!’ 

“Buuuuuut…” With one final squeal from having her face held, she took a step back and leaned against the door, moving the hand on her face and the one resting on her back in front of her to place both of her hands on his palms. “I said I would tell you why I wasn’t afraid earlier… So proooomise your King you won’t laugh at her…”

“K-King Suuuuumi!” He kneeled on one knee and bowed his head, kissing both of her hands to hide his growing blush from what he has to do after. “I shall not laugh at your reasoning! I promise with all of my heart!”

“You’re sooooo considerate, Aki-senpai!” She interconnected their hands together and brought him to his feet, taking in the sight of the soft redness on his face that paired well with hers. “You better not laugh, okaaaay?”

“I’m pretty sure I just promised I wouldn’t laugh, no?” As proof, he sent her a reassuring smile and a subtle laugh. 

The instant he witnessed her already smug smirk grow larger and even more smug, he knew he signed up for something unpleasant. Without any sort of warning, Sumire pulled him towards her by moving their linked hands next to her head against the door. To prevent his face from bumping into hers, and accidentally stealing a kiss with the potential of upsetting her, he pulled his head back as far as he could. Despite moving forward a little bit, his face was still relatively close to hers.

“Umm…” There was something about the smugness plastered on her face that made him feel uncomfortable, which was weird considering the multiple occasions he brought his face close to hers just to see her light up in red. “I’m k-kinda close…” 

“Don’t you remember doing this, Aki-senpai~?”

“Wha-”

On cue, she leaned in and pecked his nose, giggling at how he continued to sputter nonsense.

“Tsk tsk, so you DID forgot after all! Whaaaaat a dummy!” To tease him further, she kissed his cheek and whispered: “I didn’t expect my most royal subject to wall-slam the King to get her attention. And I thought the King was supposed to be the selfish one~.”

“W-W-Wait! H-H-Hold on!” With his face beginning to heat up, he shook his head and stared at the smug King directly in front of him. “There’s no way I did that, especially since you’re against a door! R-Right!?”

“Buuuuut you did, Akiii-senpai! And a door counts! Don’t you remember lifting me off the ground, bringing me to this door, and slaaaaamming your hands like this?” Wanting to jog his memory, she moved their connected hands away from the wall and got ready to move them back.

Unsure how seriously she was going to slam their hands against the door, and wanting to protect the back of her hands from any sort of pain, he added some resistance and opened his hands so his fingertips would be the first thing to come into contact with the door. Much to his surprise, she brought their hands to the wall very slowly. In fact, he stopped resisting when he realized how slow she was moving them.

“T-That counts as a wall-slam!?” 

“Mhmmm! You aaaaalso cornered me here!” Following her accompanying nods, she slid her fingers out of his hands by crouching and popped up underneath him to hug him tight. “I didn’t expect my husband to be soooo romantic! And you didn’t laugh at your King tooooo! Yoooouuu’re the best husbandly-royal subject in the entireeee world!” 

“… I’m so confused.” Regardless, he cuddled Sumire and kissed her head. “Let me guess, Futaba told you about wall-slamming?”

“Yuuuuuup!”

‘Why am I not surprised…’ 

“She told me how romantic it was for a husband to wall-slam his wife, and it’s soooooo true! You left me speeeechless, Aki-senpai!”

“S-Sorry about that…” 

“Since I told you why I wasn’t afraid…” The sound of her hushed voice and releasing him from the hug raised a red flag in his mind. “You know what that means!”

‘Please no…’

As if to torment him further, she folded her arms behind her back, rested along the door, and sent a wink to her beloved.

“Don’t keeeeep your King waiting~.” 

“Umm, a-about that…” One deep breath was all he needed to collect his words as he accepted the inevitable, trying to avoid her obvious smugness. “Are you s-sure you want me to t-take off your c-coat?”

“… Yessss…”

Hearing her trailing off prompted him to look at her. Staring into her now sheepish eyes before turning her head away made him even more curious as to what could be wrong. Afraid that she might actually have been feeling hot the entire time and caught a fever, he placed a hand on her forehead while pressing his other one on his.

“Thank goodness.” He sighed in relief, happy to know she wasn’t sick. “You got me worried there, King Suuuumi.” 

“… King…” She silently whispered.

“Sumi?”

“I’m a horrible King…” She shook her head and spun around to face the door. 

“Umm, King Sumi?” All attempts at trying to spin her back were in vain, as she groaned every time he almost touched her. “What’s wrong, King Suuuuumi?” 

“That won’t work…” 

“What won’t?” He peeked over her shoulder to try and meet her eyes.

For a split second, he saw a faint smile as she used her flowing hair to hide her face from his persistence. “Calling me King Suuuuumi…” 

“And why’s that?”

“…” 

Left with one final option, he enveloped her in his arms from behind and squeezed her tight. “Your most royal subject wants to know what’s wrong, King Suuuuuumi.”

He rewarded himself with a mental high-five upon witnessing her tense up, confident that she loved being hugged like this. A few seconds passed before she relaxed and looked over her shoulder with a pout. It didn’t take long for that pout to soften to a forgiving smile. 

“You’re a meeeaaanie for forcing me to tell you…” She gazed into his eyes while fiddling with his fingers.

“If that’s what it takes, then I’ll gladly be your meanie.” He listened to her blissful giggle when he wrapped his arms further to where they rested on her waist, waiting patiently for her to be ready.

“… Lied…”

For mumbling, her waist was relentlessly poked. Squirming in her beloved’s arms was impossible, considering how he prevented her from moving around too much as he continued to tickle her. All she could do was laugh hysterically and plead with him to stop. He happily obliged, leaving her with three more pokes.

“How DARE you tickle your King!” She pouted at the hideous smirk that grew on his face once her laughter died out.

“You forgot to mention you were tickled with your husband’s looooove, King Suuuuumi!” As he leaned his head against her head, the hideous smirk changed to a soft grin. “I really am sorry for tickling you though. It was all I could do to see my cute King smile again.”

“UGHHHH! If you wanted your cute King to smile, then you should’ve begged! I would’ve listened as your cute King, but you just HAD to tickle me!” She fidgeted in his arms despite bearing a jovial smile from hearing her favorite compliment.

“I’ll make sure to ask next time.” 

With another squeeze, he asked what she was referring to when she mumbled about lying, mentioning that they shouldn’t keep everyone waiting any longer. Though she was hesitant to tell him in fear of angering him, she was promised he wouldn’t get mad with a kiss on her cheek.

“… I lied about-”

“Oh no, don’t tell me King Suuuuumi was a lie the whole time!”

“Heeeeey! You’re not allowed to interrupt the King either! And it’s not a lie! I’m King Suuuuuumi! Hmph!”

After laughing at his poor joke, he allowed Sumire to continue with a loving squeeze around her waist and a nuzzle to her head.

“I lied about feeling hooooot… I never felt hoooooot…”

“See? That wasn’t so bad-”

“But I REALLY want you to take off my coat…”

“HUH!?”

“It’s not faaaair, Aki-senpai…” She tilted her head away so they wouldn’t be leaning on each other anymore. “I know you said I could be selfish when I’m King… And I REALLY want to be selfish… But I lied about feeling hooooot…”

“I-It’s okay, Sumi-”

“All because I want you to remove my coat… So you can see the dress I wore juuuuust for you since you requested it… With my hair fixed like this and my glasses on… Because I love it when you’re selfish… But you can’t see my dresssss if I’m wearing my coat… But it’s also wrooooong for me to lie like that… Even though you allowed me to be selfish… So I’ll just-”

As she was about to undo the second button on her coat, she found her wrists being restrained by Akira’s hands. She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see an extremely red Akira muttering something she couldn’t understand. Realizing that his glasses fogged up from the vast amount of heat emanating from his face, she moved one of her hands to grasp the frame and removed them, taking in the sight of his gray eyes staring at the door. Wanting his eyes to be on her, she placed his glasses on top of hers and cupped his chin with her free hand, moving his head to where the only thing in his line of sight was her pout.

“How DARE you forget your eyes aaaaalways belong to your King! Hmph!”

“I-It’s kinda hard t-to do that if I’m s-s-supposed to, y-you know…” Keeping his eyes focused on her, he shook the wrist he was holding near her coat, watching her look down at it. “I-It was a selfish c-c-command, after all…”

Aware of what he was insinuating, she kissed his cheek and asked if he could let go of her wrists. With a reluctant nod from Akira, she spun in place to face him. Once more, she folded her arms behind her back and leaned against the door, this time wearing a doting smile instead of a playful one. 

“N-Now, I know I said I w-would do this, b-but I-”

The sound of her grumbling caught his attention.

‘That can’t be good…’ 

“You said I could be selfish when I’m King, Aki-senpai.” Her doting smile was gone, replaced with an irritated pout that was foreign to him. “I almost changed my mind so I wouldn’t be a meanie, but YOU told me it’s okay to be selfish. And nooooow, YOU’RE telling me I can’t! YOU’RE A LIAR-”

Right before she finished yelling that last part, he covered her mouth with his hand. He would’ve preferred using his lips, but he could already imagine the wrath of an angry King Sumi if he didn’t perform her orders correctly. Under the assumption she calmed down based on the annoyance in her eyes mellowing to a charmful stare, he removed his hand away from her mouth, only to cover it again when she called him a liar. This happened three more times, where each of her attempted shouts quieted down every time her mouth was covered, resorting to a stubborn pout when she couldn't shout any quieter.

“I-I never said you c-couldn’t be s-selfish…” He nervously laughed while moving a hand to one of her coat buttons, unable to do anything about how bright and red his face became. “I just, umm, w-wanted to double check a-and see if you were c-c-comfortable with what I’m a-about to do…”

All he got was a “hmph!” with an accompanying pout. With a defeated sigh, he started going through the second button when he suddenly felt his glasses back on his face again.

“I can’t see you doing it correctly if I’m still wearing your glasses, you dummy.” She turned her head to avoid looking at him. “I ALSO command you to use both hands. It’s easier, and you can take your time.”

“T-Thank you for your w-wisdom, King S-Suuuumi…” 

Swallowing the lump in his throat and adjusting his glasses, Akira continued working on the second button at a moderate pace. Right when he was about to undo it, he felt Sumire’s hands on his wrists. They weren’t securely held, but it did warrant him to look at her. 

“No.” 

That single word said in a very unnerving tone, along with her red orbs piercing his gray ones, sent shivers down his spine. It got even worse when she moved her hands to the sides of his face, holding his head in place so that he could only stare into her cold, dominating eyes.

“Take your time.”

Having said what she wanted, she folded her arms behind her back again and waited while staring him down. 

‘I don’t even know if this is embarrassing, humiliating, or scary…’

He went back to undoing the second button of her coat, pointing his head down to avoid her daunting gaze. Unsure what she really meant by taking his time, he went at the slowest pace he could imagine to not test her. The moment he finally opened it, he let out a heavy sigh, jolting in place when he heard a cheerful giggle. He cautiously looked up to meet Sumire’s eyes, being welcomed with a teasing grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck and raised herself up to kiss his nose.

“Only three more to go, Aki-senpai~.” 

If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t know if he would actually be able to give her the kiss she’s been waiting for. With the way things were currently going, he was afraid he might die if Sumire continued to whisper how many buttons he had left. His saving grace came from the rejuvenating giggles she made whenever a button was opened up, which meant he had something to look forward to three more times until this embarrassment or humiliation can end.

Figuring there was no point in delaying the inevitable, he aimed his head down to work on the third button. As soon as his hands reached her coat, Sumire pulled his neck down so their foreheads would touch.

“Look at me.” She commanded him with that same frightening tone and blank, assertive gaze she used moments ago.

“I-umm-d-don’t want to m-m-mess up-”

“And I want you to look at me.”

“B-But S-S-Sumi-“

“King Suuuuuumi.”

“U-Umm-K-K-King-”

“I want to be selfish.”

“UMM-“

“Really, REALLY selfish.”

“I-I-I-” 

“You’re GOING to let me be REALLY selfish.”

‘She actually took Makoto’s advice seriously… Damn you, Makoto!’ With a sigh, he recollected his words and bashfully stared into her red orbs. “I know, King Suuuumi…”

“… Good…” 

The way she said that reminded him of when they hugged after she performed her routine in front of him and Coach Hiraguchi, specifically when he told her he didn’t want to let her go. Except this time, there was no gratitude. All he could sense was a malevolent intent before her cold, dictating mood changed to what he could be considered whimsical. 

“The next two buttons are near my waist, so nooooo poking!” 

“U-Understood, K-King Suuuumi-”

“Unlesssssss!”

‘U-Unless!?’ He watched her look away in thought for a split second, piercing his eyes again when she finished thinking with a gleeful grin.

“If you REALLY take your time like you did earlier, then I’ll grant you permission to poke my waist! Maaaaaybe you can even undo the final button if I’m toooo busy laughing, IF you think you’re fast enough!” She flirtatiously winked, giggling to herself at the sight of him jumping. “After all, it’s my duty as the kindest and fairest King eeeeever to make sure the beeeeest husbandly-royal subject is happy!”

“Y-Your kindness is g-greatly appreciated-” 

“Buuuuuut!”

‘BUT!?’

“You MUST keep your eyes on your King the entireeee time! You said they BEEEELONG to me, aaaaand I want to be suuuuuper selfish before we kissssss! Okay~?”

“G-Got it, K-King Suuuuuumi…”

Staring into her eyes, Akira remembered what she said about the placement of the third and fourth button near her waist. Very hesitantly, he moved his arms to her ticklish spot, receiving a light giggle and confirmation that the third button was right above it. Once he found where it was, he was about to undo the button when Sumire removed her arms around his neck to squish his face with a beaming smile.

“Smiiiile, Aki-senpai! I waaaant to see you smile! As King, I HAVE to make sure my husband is happy!”

“U-Umm, r-r-right, King Suuuumi! …C-Can you s-stop squishing my f-f-face so I can s-smile?”

“Yooooouuu got it!”

No longer having his face smooshed, he did his best in showing her a smile that could match her beam. Though unsure if it would suffice, Sumire’s arms surrounding his neck again gave him the confidence that what he had worked fine. That realization, and the entirety of this situation he found himself in with how hot his face became, was too much for him to not laugh at. 

Thankfully, hearing Sumire laugh along made him feel a little more at ease. It was as if the humor behind this scenario actually helped reduce the amount of red that surfaced on his face. Accepting that it’s better to have fun compared to feeling ashamed, especially since they were secluded, he pecked her nose before “taking his time” opening the third button. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt as if he opened it quickly despite knowing he went really slow.

“Only two buttons to go, Aki-senpai~.”

Just like with the previous button, he took his time and was shocked at how fast he opened it.

“Yesssss! One button left, Aki-senpai!” 

Listening to her say that full of delight almost made him steal a kiss since she would normally whisper in a playful manner. To at least satisfy his impulse, as well as give her a sneak peek for what to look forward to later, he presented her forehead with a lingering kiss, causing her to giggle.

“And you kept your eyes on me the entire time!” She pulled his neck down to also reward his forehead with her own lingering kiss. “That means you can poke-”

Intentionally cutting her off, he didn’t hold back the amount of pokes he believed she deserved for what she made him go through. She tried to restrict her laughter by burying her face in his chest, but this only made him tickle her even more.

“I’m not letting you off the hook so easily, King Suuuuumi of selfishness!”

While she could’ve used her arms to cover up her sides after catching his fond whisper, she kept them around his neck. Either way, Akira kept his assault going until she used her Kingly powers to order him to stop, though very indecisively. Noticing that she was still busy laughing, he used this chance to unbutton the final button on her coat, returning his hands to her waist when her coat was fully opened.

“Ughhhh…”

The vibrations of a drawn-out groan on his chest made him chuckle, which attracted the attention of the King hiding her face. He patiently watched Sumire steadily raise her head to look at him, where an adorable pout greeted his revolting smirk. What caught him off guard, however, were the tears that formed around her eyes, presumably from laughing too hard. 

Since his hands were still on her ticklish spot, and her arms were still around his neck, he got ready to poke her again with the intention of those tears falling down through sheer laughter. After observing her prepare herself by tensing up and closing her eyes, he surprised her with an affectionate hug.

“S-Sorry… I got a little carried away there, huh?” He moved his hands from her waist to her face, wiping away the tears coating her ravishing red eyes with his thumbs. 

“Y-You did…” She mumbled through her sobs once she was able to see his gray eyes clearly. “You’re a m-meanie for m-making your K-King cry, A-Aki-senpai…”

“I-I know it’s a lame excuse, but…” Even if it was through laughter, the guilt of making her cry hit him hard, deciding to kiss her nose as part of his apology. “I was waiting for you to tell me to stop or block my hands, but you k-kinda didn’t-” 

“That’s because I didn’t want to…”

“Wait, huh? What do you-“

Right when Akira was going to finish asking his question, Sumire pulled his neck down so their foreheads could touch again while staring into his eyes.

“I want to be the beeeest and most faaaairest King ever, which means I have to listen to my people. And since I was already selfish when I commanded you to unbutton my coat, I wanted you to be selfish when you pooooked my waist, even if you made me cry from laughing tooooo hard…” She flashed him another pout before changing it to a cheeky grin, kissing his cheek as she went to his ear. “That means I’m going to be suuuuuper DUPER selfish when you give me a loooovely kisssssss, Aki-senpai~.”

Already sensing his face heating up from her comment, he watched her send him another wink as she held onto his hands currently on his face and guided them to the collar of her coat.

“You know what to do, Aki-senpai~.”

“Uhh, s-sure… I-It shouldn’t b-be that hard…” 

He tried to imagine the two of them having a fancy dinner in a high class restaurant somewhere in the area, most likely as a celebration for reclaiming back their reality. All he had to do was act like a gentleman and ask Sumire if she could turn around so he could remove her coat and drape it over her seat. It was a plan that sounded simple enough.

Yet, he knew things weren’t going to play out as he wanted them to. Sumire automatically refused to turn around, claiming she wants to watch him remove her coat so he’s the first one to see her dress (even though he saw it earlier with Futaba and Morgana in the afternoon), not the door. Any sort of reasoning he tried to make were abruptly shot down, with the main reason being him not allowing her to be selfish even though he said he would.

Having to cover her mouth again with his hand after blocking her attempted yells of calling him a liar again, followed with another stubborn pout, he held onto the collar of her coat. On cue, her pout transformed into a very sassy grin as she lightly grasped his wrists.

“You’re taking your time, aren’t you, Aki-senpai~?”

“Y-You could say that, yeah…”

“Well doooon’t worry! I’ll help you!”

‘Oh thank-’

He should’ve known what her help would amount to. All she did was move his hands a centimeter away, essentially doing nothing but open up her collar a tiny bit.

“Like my help, Akiii-senpai?” She didn’t hide the amount of joy she found from tricking him based on her uncontrollable giggles. “I know you said you’re taking your time, but you don’t have to! Beeeeecause I want you to see my dresssss you requested as sooooon as possible, Aki-senpai~.”

‘Of course she had to whisper that part…’

Akira’s attempt at pinching Sumire’s nose fell flat, as she held onto his wrists more tightly to prevent them from going anywhere that wasn’t related to her coat. Chuckling at how funny she looked wearing a bright smile even though she was gripping his wrists uncomfortably tight, he took a deep breath to control his breathing and blush as he accepted what he had to do. 

In one fluid motion, he slid her coat off of her shoulders. Wanting to be a little creative, he raised one of his hands above him and motioned her to spin with his other hand. She happily obliged, releasing the wrist that wasn’t above her head and said she would spin five times. By the second spin, her arm was completely freed from the sleeve. 

Akira took this chance and hastily grabbed her almost freed coat so that it wouldn’t be spinning wildly with her, sliding it off the arm that was in the air as she reached her fourth spin while letting go of his other wrist. Now having her coat in his hands and draping it over his shoulder, he watched her final spin in awe, taking in the view of the gorgeous dress that added to her already stunning beauty. 

Right when she finished spinning, she collapsed into his arms full of giggles.

“Someone’s a little dizzy.” He fixed the messy parts of her hair, specifically the locks covering her eyes so he could gaze into them.

“Noooooope! I’m not dizzzzzy! But thaaaaat’s not important!” Making sure to squeeze him tight, she pushed herself off of him and staggerly leaned on the door with her hands clasped in front of her while tilting her head to the side. “How do I looooook?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it looks like I split the chapter, well that's because I did haha. That's pretty much why the chapter count changed yet again. The entirety of the final round was finished with a total of 16k words, and while I was down to do that because it's the final round, I reread the what has become the next chapter and decided it can be written better. It's not an entire rewrite, but I'll be making more revisions to it since that part was what I was waiting to write since I started this fic and I want it (in my eyes) to be good.
> 
> I'm hoping that I can get the next chapter out as soon as I can, but uni just started for me so that could be a potential issue. Apologies if it ends up taking a while for that chapter to be released!
> 
> Once again, thank you for being a lovely audience! Until next time!


	9. The King's Game (Part 4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for Sumire to receive her lovely kiss from Akira! What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It certainly feels like it's been a while haha. Apologies for the delay!
> 
> Now, it's showtime!

**2/1/2017 - Crossroads**

“How do I looooook?”

After examining Sumire’s wonderful violet dress that accented her beauty and irreplaceable smile, Akira answered her question with a simple smug smirk. Almost immediately, she puffed her cheeks as much as she can in an attempt to make a pout so huge, he’d feel guilty for not taking her question seriously again. Unfortunately for her, he covered his mouth to block out the snicker that turned into laughter from the face she made. 

Her response? 

Nothing really, as her pout disappeared when Akira reached for her hands right when she was about to turn her head to face the wall. Once they were in his grasp, he rubbed his thumbs on the back of her hands, staring into her surprised eyes with his smug smirk transforming into a heartfelt smile.

“I’m in love.”

If Sumire jumping into his arms wasn’t enough to show her obvious joy, then her squeal into his chest made it a dead giveaway.

“I looooooove you, Akiii-senpai!”

“I love you too, King Suuuuumi.” Right when he was going to peck her forehead, she stepped out of their shared embrace and securely held onto one of his arms.

“C’mon, Aki-senpai! We can’t keep eeeeveryone waiting! Lalaaaaa-sama REALLY wants to see my dresssss, remember?” She walked past him, playfully pulling his arm. “If you move faster, I’ll let you touch my-”

Interrupting her proposal was one of Akira’s hands that made its way to her waist, freezing her on the spot as she looked back in shock and stared innocently into his eyes.

“Please, d-don’t.” 

Her innocent stare instantly became smug at the sight of how red his face became from the presence of _that_ word.

“Touch myyyyyy…” 

“S-Stop!”

“Myyyyyy…” 

“I’m warning you! D-Don’t-”

“B-u-t-t-”

As soon as she finished spelling _that_ word, her waist was poked with no remorse. It didn’t take long for her to bury her face in his chest to hide her laughter, receiving three more pokes as her final punishment.

“K-King Suuuumi d-doesn’t know how t-to listen and stop with her j-jokes, huh?” 

“That’s b-because you’re a n-naughty husband for undressing me, Aki-senpai!” Once her laughing fit ended, she raised her head and gazed into his eyes with a secretive smirk.

“Naughty? U-Undressing!?”

“Yuuuuuup! You took off my coat, remember~?”

His face lit up into an even deeper shade of red when he realized what she said was technically true. “B-But you commanded me to!”

“Mhmm! Buuuuut you still did it! Aaaaand of all people, you undressed your King!” Using her gracefulness, she swiftly let go of him to hug his arm, tugging at it so she can get closer to his ear. “You’re soooooo naughty, Aki-senpai~. You need proper punishment~.”

Before he had the chance to properly register her whisper and imagine what she considers as “punishment”, he somehow found himself in the middle of the bar in front of everyone again. Even his hands were holding Sumire’s when she first told him her orders. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed Futaba was now sitting in his chair.

‘Maybe Lala moved her so Makoto could keep an eye on her too?’

Not wanting to think about how much work Futaba put Lala through, he went back to looking at Sumire and studied her face. He wasn’t quite sure, but her face appeared more red than usual, with bits of pink tracing her cheeks. 

“OH. MY. GOD. Your dress is SO beautiful!” Lala waved a hand to Sumire so she could get a better view of the outfit, pointing out how her red hair and red eyes complimented the predominant violet color. 

“Thaaaank you, Lalaaaa-sama!” Sumire raised one of Akira’s hands above her head and twirled in place, showing everyone the magnificence of her outfit. “But that’s not all! Akiii-senpai said he’s in loooooove when he saw me wear this dresssss for the first time! Even before we got married, he’s the beeeeest husband eeeever! And noooow, he’s the beeeest husbandly-royal subject beeeecause I'm Kiiiiing!”

“Awwwww!” Ann, Haru, and Lala murmured at Sumire’s new nickname for Akira.

“Honey, you better not do anything to make her sad, got it?” Directing her eyes to the boy, Lala stared deep into his soul to give him a glimpse of what would happen if he _did_ make her sad, now joining Ann and Haru in making threats for the sake of Sumire’s happiness. 

“U-Understood, Lala!”

“Good! Now, I do have a question.” She placed a hand under her chin as she stared at the couple. “Why did you take so long to remove her coat? Wasn’t that the only thing you were supposed to do?”

“YEAH! WHAT GOD LALA SAID!” Futaba’s deafening shout scared everyone except Sumire, who started swinging her and Akira’s arms together, and Lala. “Do you know how loooooong we had to wait for you!?”

“W-Well, no?”

“FIFTEEN MINUTES! Fifteen minutes to take off her freaking freaking coat! WHAT THE HELL, AKIRAAAA!? There were only five buttons too! If that was meeee, I would’ve unbuttoned her coat AND her-”

Not wanting to hear any of her nonsense, Makoto covered Futaba’s mouth with her hand.

“You know what will happen if you try to lick my hand, right!?” 

Having heard Makoto’s forbidding warning, Futaba slumped in her chair and crossed her arms like a child on timeout.

“Hmmmmm, I wooooonder what Futaba was talking about, Aki-senpai~.” 

Akira switched his attention from the three at the counter to Sumire, who greeted him with a flirtatious grin. 

“Oh no.” 

“You’re a REEEEAAALLY naughty husband, Akiii-senpai!”

“I-I-I didn’t s-say-”

“Doooon’t worry!” Taking advantage of his barely functioning mind, she pressed her lips onto his cheek, subsequently frying his mind more as she spoke in a hushed voice. “Your secret is safe with me, because I’m the best at keeping secrets~. Buuuuut if you don’t give me a lovely kissssss, then maaaaybe I’ll tell everyone as part of your punishment~.”

‘But I didn’t even say anything…’ Choosing it was better to sigh to cool off his face from her teasing rather than whimper, he assured her that she _will_ get the lovely kiss she rightfully deserves.

“C’mon Akira! Kissssss your wife already so we could officially celebrate your marriage!” Ann cheered on from the booth, shooting a fist in the air to show her support.

“Yes, Akira-kun! I won’t be able to buy you both a wedding present until I see this lovely kiss Sumire-chan ordered for!” Still petting Akechi’s hair, Haru flashed a smile to the two, Sumire seeing it as a gentle one while all Akira saw was maliciousness.

Taking note of how excited Sumire got from how she was swinging their arms with more energy, he was curious to what everyone else was doing. Ryuji and Morgana simply gave him a thumbs-up and grins, knowing that he got this covered. Remembering that Sumire’s coat was still draped over his shoulder, he tossed it to Ryuji so he could hold onto it. Makoto was currently occupied with keeping Futaba in check, who still had her mouth covered. All she could do was ready her phone to take a picture of the kiss, something Akira laughed at from how miserable she looked. Yusuke did what was expected of him, which was framing his hands and observing the kiss between two lovers the exact moment it happened. When he looked at Lala, she shooed him away so he could go and stop delaying Sumire’s kiss.

Returning his eyes back to his beloved, he was welcomed with a smile so genuine, it made him realize how lucky he truly was in finding her and that living in a world without her as her regular self is a world not worth anything. It didn’t help that Sumire suddenly became self-conscious when he smiled back with his own affection, hiding behind her hair so her face wouldn’t be seen.

“Y-You’re m-making me n-nervous again, Aki-senpai…” She whispered quietly enough for him to be the only one to hear. “You b-better not m-mess up our k-kissssss…” 

“And you…” He took a step closer to her, causing her to shy away even more. “You need to stop acting so cute.”

“B-But I don’t want toooo… Y-You said you l-like it when I act c-c-cute…” 

Another step forward made her silently “eep” and tense her shoulders, trembling in place as she shut her eyes to try and get him to stop from walking any closer. 

“I do, and it’s one of the many reasons why I’m in love with you. But…” Rubbing his thumbs on the back of her hands again, Akira gave her forehead a kiss to get her attention. “I also like it when I can stare into my King’s lovely eyes as I give her a lovely kiss.”

While her shaking ceased, she still remained hidden from his eyes.

“I-I’m scared, A-Aki-senpai…”

“Don’t worry, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m right in front of you” He presented her forehead with another kiss to convey his support just in case his words weren’t enough, observing her slowly turn her head to face him but keeping her eyes pointed at the ground.

“W-What if I m-mess up… Or w-what if you m-mess up and d-don’t give me a lovely k-kisssss…” 

“Shall your most husbandly loyal subject take the lead then, my King?”

Receiving a reserved nod as her answer, he watched her steadily lift her head up and look for his eyes. Once she made eye contact, she took a deep breath and lightly giggled from how close Akira got, smiling softly at him before closing her eyes and puckering her lips. 

‘Alright Akira Kurusu, it’s showtime.’

Though it was completely unnecessary, he couldn’t resist the urge to psych himself up. He opted to not hold her chin this time around, coming to the realization that it’s more romantic for their hands to remain the way they were held. Although, he did motion for her to interlock their hands together, something she happily agreed to through a few hand squeezes. Believing all of the preparations were complete, he leaned his head down to reach her patient lips and enchanted her with his love, fulfilling her order of a lovely kiss… 

Or so he thought… 

Barely three seconds into the spell, he heard what sounded like a muffled groan come from her, eventually becoming a muffled grumble. Curious as for what caused this type of reaction, he reluctantly backed away and slowly opened his eyes. Immediately, he was met with a VERY angry pout, one that didn’t appear to have a playful side compared to her other ones… 

“Umm, King-”

“You were SUPPOSED to give me a LOVELY kiss, Aki-senpai.” There was even a large amount of animosity behind her words that was unfamiliar, along with her speech no longer being slurred.

“W-Wasn’t that-”

“JEEZ AKIRAAAAA, WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU!” Futaba didn’t bother unleashing her fury onto him, shocking Makoto since she was bold enough to snatch her hand away from her mouth. “YOU CALL _THAT_ A LOVELY KISSSSS!? MY SISTER WAITED SOOOOO LONG FOR ONE TOO AFTER YOU DENIED HER!”

“WHAT!? YOU DID _NOT_ DO THAT TO OUR SWEET SUMIRE!”

“Tell me what Futaba-chan said isn't true, Akira-kun!”

“H-Hold on just a minute!” Dealing with an upset “drunk” Sumire and Futaba was already challenging enough, but having to reason with the enraged “drunk” duo of Ann and Haru? “I d-didn’t-”

“YESSSSS YOU DID! I WAS THERE-”

“Will you stop shouting already!?” 

Adding a death glare to her cold tone, Makoto covered Futaba’s mouth again more forcefully than earlier, reminding her what Sojiro would do if he found out she went to the red-light district. She then looked over to Akira once she saw Futaba slump in her chair again.

“It might be best to tell everyone what happened…”

“Y-Yeah-”

“No.”

The freezing sting of Sumire’s opposition struck Akira’s heart directly where it hurts.

“S-Sumi-”

“I COMMANDED you to give me a lovely kiss… And I’ve been DREAMING about it all of this time… Ever since you told me I have to be King if I wanted another kiss… BUT YOU DIDN’T EVEN GIVE ME ONE!” She yanked her hands away from his and balled them into fists, continuously stomping the ground. “I EVEN TOLD YOU TO _NOT_ MESS UP! AARGH YOU’RE A LIAR, AKIRA-SENPAI!”

Hearing himself be called “Akira-senpai” again instead of “Aki-senpai” dealt more damage to his heart than he anticipated. If anything, it felt like his heart was crushed like in those fighting games Futaba made him play.

“SHE’S A 1000% RIGHT, AKIRAAAA! YOU’RE KISSES IN THE CHAPEL LOOK A MILLION TIMES BETTER-” Annoyed at the gremlin’s stubbornness, Makoto whipped out her phone and dialed Sojiro’s number, telling Futaba that she won’t call him as long as she agrees to stop yelling and speak when it felt appropriate to everyone else, a compromise she begrudgingly accepted.

“What’s this about a chapel?” Lala looked over at Akira, perplexed at what Futaba was talking about.

Aware that his best friend wouldn’t be able to say anything with how things were currently going, Ryuji hastily fabricated a story for Lala in how they’re all part of the drama club at Shujin with Yusuke, Akechi, and Futaba as volunteers. He explained how in the play they’re working on, Akira’s and Sumire’s characters are soon to be married since they’re the stars of the show, hence why Futaba mentioned a chapel. 

“You could imagine the practice they put into that scene by, umm, k-kissing… R-Right?” 

“So that’s why she wants a lovely kiss from Honey! Aww she’s just too adorable! Thank you for the clarification, Hon! Let me know when the play happens too, okay? It sounds too cute to miss out if Honey and his girl are the lead characters!”

“Y-You got it, Lala…” Once he saw Morgana giving him a hesitant thumbs-up and Makoto shaking her head for the horrible cover-up story, Ryuji sighed as he continued to watch the mess Akira was in.

“HOW _DARE_ YOU LIE TO OUR SWEET LITTLE SUMIRE LIKE THAT! AARGH YOU’RE _REALLY_ BREAKING HER HEART, AKIRA!”

“Maybe YOU’RE the one who needs to learn how to be a _good boy_ , Akira-kun! Isn’t that right, Akechi-kun~?”

“I don’t care-”

“ _Isn’t that right, Akechi-kun~?_ ”

“T-That’s right, Okumura-san…” 

“Alright, that’s enough!” Makoto stood up and ordered Ann and Haru to calm down until Akira and Sumire sorted this out, something they happily obliged to. “Akira, you and Sumire now have the floor. We’ll try to, umm, not get in the way too much…”

“T-Thanks, Makoto…” Now that Ann, Haru, and Futaba were out of the picture, he focused everything onto his displeased King, who kept her fists balled and her cheeks puffed while looking away. “K-King Sumi-”

“Sumire. You don’t deserve to call me Sumi OR King anymore.”

An “ouch” from the regular people at the counter echoed throughout the bar.

“Umm, S-Sumire-”

“What, Akira-senpai.”

‘This hurts…’ He took a brief moment to recover from her painful directness. “W-What’s wrong-”

“I don’t know, ask Futaba. It should be obvious.”

“I-I know…” He could already feel Futaba glaring at him. “But as the f-fairest King, you s-should be the one to t-tell me what’s wrong, r-right?”

While visibly annoyed that he was correct in wanting to be fair, but also because he addressed her as King when she just told him he couldn’t, she dropped her pout and leered at him.

“You REALLY want to know what’s wrong?”

“Y-Yes… I do…”

“Ughhhh…” 

Listening to her grumble almost made him regret his choice.

“YOUR KISS WASN’T LOVELY! THERE WAS _NOTHING_ ABOUT YOUR KISS THAT EVEN MADE IT LOVELY BY A LITTLE! THAT’S WHY YOU’RE A LIAR!”

“W-Wait! You d-don’t have to yell! I-It’s just the two of us. A-Act like everyone e-else isn’t here.” With the approving nods from those at the counter, excluding Futaba, he swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. “L-Let’s take it from the t-top, okay Sumire? W-We can talk about this…” 

“… Fine. I’m doing this because I want to be the fairest King, NOT because you asked me to.”

“Okay… C-Can you tell me which p-part of the kiss wasn’t-”

“All of it.”

‘I knew you were going to say that…’ 

“Didn’t you hear what I said, Akira-senpai? I said ALL OF IT! Your ENTIRE kiss wasn’t lovely!” An accompanying stomp with a sickening thud caused Ryuji, Morgana, and Makoto to jump in their seats.

“N-No, I-I heard you… I w-was just, umm, thinking s-since I had a f-feeling that was the case-” 

“Lies…” 

“Sumire-”

“IT’S ALL LIES BECAUSE YOU’RE A LIAR, AKIRA-SENPAI!” Remembering that she wasn’t supposed to yell, she covered her mouth before shaking her head and pouting.

“Was it really that bad…” Akira muttered to himself, coming to the conclusion that the way to fix this situation was very limited. “Y-You’re right… I l-lied… I’m-”

“Aren’t you going to ask HOW I knew you were lying?”

All he could do was simply nod, afraid that saying anything else would do more harm than good. Much to his surprise, he watched Sumire aim her head down and clasp her hands in front of her.

“You didn’t let me be selfish…” She nervously mumbled, fiddling her thumbs.

He took a step forward in hopes of hugging her to let her know she can be as selfish as she wants. However, she commanded him to stay put and listen to what she has to say, all while increasing the speed of her thumbs fiddling about.

“You SAID when I’m King, I can be selfish… And I can FINALLY get a kiss after you forced me to wait… You even rejected my requests for a kiss too when you wouldn’t stop giving me fake ones, something you didn’t do before…”

The disgruntled looks from Ann, Haru, and Futaba caught Akira’s eye, hanging his head in shame since her statement made him remember that he exactly did what Futaba said.

“You ALMOST denied my order to unbutton my coat, even though I’m King and you said I could be selfish… I ALMOST let you skip that order too because I felt I was being TOO selfish, but you said it’s okay since I’m the King… I EVEN let you tickle me until I cried because I WANTED you to be selfish too…”

“Umm, S-Sumire-” 

“And now… Ughhhhhh…” She started to tremble in place until she took a deep breath, stomping the ground and jolting her arms to her sides in balled fists, scaring everyone from this unseen side of her. “YOU’RE NOT LETTING ME BE SELFISH AGAIN!”

Feeling the embarrassment well up inside him, Akira glanced over to the counter. While Futaba was busy attempting to crack her knuckles to intimidate him with Lala covering her mouth to laugh at the comment only he and Sumire should know about, Ryuji, Morgana, and Makoto all blushed and mouthed the same thing: “S-S-Selfish? AGAIN!?”

“I-It’s not what you’re thinking, I swear! She m-means when we're on our d-dates!” He was unsure if they would fully believe him, considering how his face turned into a vivid pigment of red from Sumire’s shout. “A-And hold on, Sumire! It’s j-just the two of us t-talking, remember? You d-don’t need to-”

“I DON’T CARE!” She fidgeted her arms and stomped the ground more, throwing something reminiscent of a temper tantrum. “YOU _PROMISED_ ME THAT ONCE I’M KING, I CAN MAKE AS MANY SELFISH REQUESTS AS I WANT!”

“T-That’s true, and I-I’m trying to-”

“NO YOU’RE NOT! AARGH IT’S NOT FAIR! _YOU_ SAID _I_ COULD BE SELFISH! SO _WHY_ ARE YOU FORCING _ME_ TO WAIT WHEN _YOU_ CAN BE EXTREMELY SELFISH WHENEVER YOU WANT!? YOU WEREN’T EVEN KING WHEN YOU MADE YOUR SELFISH REQUEST YESTERDAY!”

“H-Hey-”

“ _YOU_ CALLED _ME_ LAST NIGHT TO SELFISHLY ASK IF I COULD WEAR _THIS_ DRESS, LET _MY_ HAIR DOWN, AND WEAR _MY_ GLASSES! AND WHAT DID I SAY!? I SAID YES! I DIDN’T EVEN ASK ANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE I _WANT_ YOU TO BE MORE SELFISH WITH ME! YOU BARELY SHOW YOUR SELFISH SIDE WHILE I ALWAYS SHOW YOU MINE! 

“Sumire-”

“I EVEN STARTED SHOWING MORE OF MY SELFISH SIDE AFTER YOU TOLD ME YOU LIKE IT WHEN I’M SELFISH!”

“S-S-SUMIRE!” Akira instinctively placed a finger on his mouth in an attempt to prevent her from shouting more of their personal information as his face burned further into red. “Y-You’re not supposed to s-say that out loud-”

“SO WHY!? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME, AKIRA-SENPAI!? WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME WAIT TO BE SELFISH!? WHY DO YOU GET TO BE SELFISH WHEN I CAN’T!? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO _DOUBLE-CHECK_ MY SELFISH REQUESTS WHEN I DON’T DO THAT TO YOURS!? I DIDN’T EVEN REJECT ANY OF YOUR REQUESTS, SO WHY DO YOU GET TO REJECT MINE!? WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, _WHY_ !? DO I HAVE TO MAKE IT AN ORDER FOR YOU TO FINALLY LISTEN TO ME!? JUST LET _ME_ BE SELFISH! THAT’S ALL I WANT! I JUST WANT TO BE SELFISH! UGHHH YOU’RE THE BIGGEST MEANIE AND THE WORST HUSBAND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!”

‘It’s okay, she’s not acting like herself. She doesn’t know what she’s saying.’ The thought ran through his mind as he tried to think of various methods to calm her down. “H-Hey, Sumire? C-Can you please l-listen to-”

“NO! I’M DONE LISTENING TO YOU BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO STOP BEING A MEANIE! I’M NOT TALKING TO YOU _OR_ MOVING FROM THIS SPOT UNTIL YOU LET ME BE SUPER, DUPER, EXTRA, MEGA SELFISH AND GIVE ME THE _LOVELY_ KISS YOU WERE _SUPPOSED_ TO GIVE ME AFTER YUSUKE-SENPAI ORDERED MAKOTO-SENPAI TO MODEL NUDE FOR HIM! AND THAT’S FINAL!” With one final stomp, as well as shooting her arms to her sides, she pouted at Akira to let him know his mistake and shut her eyes, turning her head away to face the wall. 

Speechless from this unseen terrifying side of his beloved, he examined her angry pout, taking note of how it was oddly both precious and horrifying before looking at everyone else. Starting from the booth, the first thing that caught his eye was Akechi’s smirk. It wasn’t much of a surprise for him to see his rival poke fun at his misfortune, nor was it a surprise to see Ann and Haru already staring at him when. 

“JUST LET YOUR WIFE BE SELFISH! YOU’RE MAKING THIS HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE!”

“Do I need to provide you an example of what would happen if you DON’T let Sumire-chan be selfish?

Though all they did was glare, it wasn’t hard for him to imagine what they would say. Shifting his eyes to those sitting at the booth, Yusuke immediately stood out to him since he continued to have his hands framed. The next person he saw was Futaba. Or rather, glanced over. He didn’t need another imaginary reminder of how lame his kiss was or that he’s a horrible person for messing with Sumire like that.

He could already predict what Makoto, Ryuji, and Morgana would do if he tried to look at them, which revolved around them not wanting to get involved, and he was entirely right. When he tried to look in their direction, the three of them instantly avoided eye contact. He couldn’t blame them. If he was being honest, there wasn’t really much they could do to help him in this situation besides offering their moral support. At least it was entertaining for him to watch Ryuji and Morgana try to whistle with Makoto staring at her phone to hide the intense blush that formed from Sumire reminding everyone on what she has to do.

And Lala?

“Don’t give me that look, Honey. This is something YOU have to fix, not me.”

“Y-Yeah, I know…” 

Akira sighed at how fast everything got blown out of proportion, finding a little humor that he was the culprit behind it. He was at a loss of words, blaming himself for pulling that prank on Sumire in the first place. While it was definitely fun, he didn’t expect his lovely kiss to be rejected so negatively. There really wasn’t much for him to do other than think of a new plan to get her to talk to him again. Or more importantly, get her to move since Lala told them they would have to leave when this round finishes to get home safely. He wasn’t entirely certain how long Lala was willing to let this continue the way it was now… 

‘Is there even anything I can… Wait… Maybe that…’ 

Betting his entire life on this new plan, he anxiously took a step towards Sumire. 

“Mean husbands aren’t allowed to hug the King.”

“H-How’d you know I was-”

“Hmph!”

‘You’re making it hard not to- Wait a minute…’ He studied her face, chuckling at his correct observation. “You really want my eyes to stay on you, huh King Suuuumi?”

“You’re FORBIDDEN from calling me King or Suuuumi! You don’t remember because YOU’RE a DUMMY! Hmph!” She faced the other direction, taking extra care to hide her face behind her hair.

Gaining more confidence in his plan now that he confirmed Sumire would be watching him, he circled around her and placed a hand under his chin.

“You better stop, unless you want to be called a dummy forever.”

“I thought you weren’t supposed to talk to me-”

“YOU’RE A DUMMY FOREVER! HMPH!”

‘… Well she’s not wrong about that…’ Scratching the back of his head for making a potential mistake, he stood directly in front of Sumire and placed his hands in his pockets. “I-I’m sorry, Sumire. I should’ve given you a lovelier kiss from the start since I know you w-want to be, umm, s-selfish… B-But are you s-sure my k-kiss wasn’t lovely-”

“Didn’t you hear me? I SAID I’M NOT-”

“S-S-Sumire!” 

Not wanting her to strain her voice from yelling too much, he instinctively yanked his hands out of his pockets and held her face, causing her to gasp and stare into his eyes from the forbidden contact. Realizing what he just did, and also watching her shock transform into the angry pout she’s been wearing recently with her hands almost grabbing his, he swiftly removed his hands from her face and shoved them back in his pockets.

“I-I-I w-wanted to let y-you know that you d-don’t have to y-yell… Umm, you can just tell me, okay?”

“… Fine.” She moved her hands back to her sides, sticking out her tongue at him before pouting. “I said I’m not talking OR moving from this spot UNTIL you let me be super, duper, extra, mega selfish and give me the LOVELY kiss you were SUPPOSED to give me.”

“T-Thank you, Sumire… S-So, how do I g-give you a l-lovely k-kiss and let you be, umm, s-super, duper, extra, mega selfish-”

“I’m not telling you! YOU have to figure it out and do it because YOU’RE a DUMMY! I don’t have to do anything because I’M your KING! Hmph!”

That was all he needed to hear.

“As you wish, your Majesty~.”

“Hmph- EEP!”

Unknownst to Sumire since she was too busy trying to ignore him, Akira dropped his timid facade and wore his infamous smirk. Spinning twice in place to gather enough momentum for his trick, he swept Sumire off the ground at the end of his first rotation, securely holding her in the air with an arm around her upper body and another supporting her legs while continuing to spin. Or as Futaba would call it based on their attack in the Metaverse, the _fabled_ bridal carry. Though the guilt ate at him for scaring her, judging from the volume of her “EEP!” rocking the entire establishment, carrying her in his arms like this and watching her reaction made it all worth it.

As for Sumire, the act was too sudden for her to register until after the second spin ended. Once she became aware that she was suspended in the air because of the fabled bridal carry, and how her beloved performed such an deed with barely any effort along with the placement of his hands around her legs and back, her already rosy face flared up to a much more intense shade of red than ever before, with blotches of pink covering the areas of her face that weren’t lit up. She couldn’t even search for his eyes to try and make an embarrassed pout from panicking too much.

“A-A-A-AKI-SENPAI! Y-YOU’RE CHEATING! Y-YOU’RE NOT A-ALLOWED TO DO T-T-THIS TO YOUR K-KING! P-P-PUT ME DOWN! THAT’S AN-”

Refusing to face him until she started an order while squirming in his arms, she was interrupted when her lips were pressed onto by his. Since everything was still happening too quickly for her to keep up with, she was unable to suppress any muffled shrieks, diving further into embarrassment. As her distress faded away enough for her mind to be somewhat functional again, she looked for her beloved’s eyes to let him see the pout he’s responsible for and should be ashamed of. 

However, there was one problem: she couldn’t pout. Matter of fact, she couldn’t pout at all. With her lips in the middle of an enchantment, she couldn’t puff her cheeks to any sort of degree without the potential of disturbing what was going on. An attempt at calling him to get his attention didn’t work either, as all that came out was an indistinguishable faint muffle. Understanding the predicament she was in, there was only one thing she could do. Softening her gaze at the sight of Akira’s devotion to his spell based on his eyes remaining closed throughout her entire ordeal, concluding that he wouldn’t see her pout if she made one in the first place, she slowly closed her eyes and returned the kiss with all of the love she could muster in the dazed state she was in, clutching the front of his jacket with one of her hands to pull him closer.

“YEAH! That’s right, Akira! Let Sumire be selfish and show her that lovely kisssss!”

“Aren’t they adorable, Akechi-kun? This MUST be what true love looks like!”

“… I suppose it could be something along those lines if it mattered to me.”

“WOOOOOO! BEST CHARACTER-PAIRED ENDING EVER! You see that, God Lalaaaa!? My brother made it official with his wife! I can actually call her my sister for real this time! We don’t have to pretend anymore!”

“D’awwww, that’s so cute! I’m so happy for all of you!”

“MAKOTO! You are no longer needed! This passion coming from the hearts of Akira and Sumire fulfills and exceeds the requirements! I must engrave this image in my mind, for it can never be mimicked OR will hold its true value behind the camera of a phone!”

“T-Thanks Yusuke… Umm, it’s r-really sweet to see the two of them like that. D-Despite how awkward it f-feels to, well, watch them…”

“Ehh, don’t let it bother you! Sumire did command Akira to kiss her after all. We pretty much had no choice but to watch. What do you think, Ryuji?”

“Huh? Oh… I don’t know. I guess it makes me happy to see Akira like this, especially after everythin’ he went through. Actually, they’ve both been through a lot, huh? Maybe that’s why it makes even more sense why they belong together, don’t yah think?”

“Wow… S-Sorry Ryuji, you surprised me there.”

“Yeah, who knew you had some kind of way with words.”

“The hell’s that supposed to mean, cat!? I was JUST answering your stupid question!”

“Who are you calling stupid!? And I was only giving you a compliment! Is this the thanks I get for-”

“Will you both knock it off!”

“S-Sorry Makoto!”

“Sorry Makoto…”

Feeling that his trick went on long enough to satisfy her selfish needs, and needing to breathe after everything he did, Akira released Sumire from the kiss. He patiently waited for her to look at him, wanting to gaze into the eyes that belonged to him surrounded by her rosy face after gasping for some air. It didn’t help that as soon as his lips parted from hers, she delicately raised her head up in hopes of getting another kiss. Seeing her do that with her eyes still closed made him chuckle, wishing that she could open them already.

It didn’t take long for Sumire to open her starry eyes, steadily searching for his ashen orbs to also stare into after taking a moment to herself.

“A-Aki-senpai…” Still in disbelief of the spell her beloved casted onto her, she released the grip she had on his jacket and brought a hand to her quivering lips, feeling the lingering presence of his love. 

“Yes, my dear Sumire?” 

Though she was still “drunk”, it didn’t change the fact the entire thing was too much for her to handle. Dropping his smugness, he tried to place her back on the ground to help ease her up, only to stop when she grabbed the collar of his turtleneck sweater and pulled it.

“Sumire?”

“… I didn’t say you could put me down…” She tightened her grip on his sweater ever so slightly, adjusting herself so her feet could be as far away from the ground as possible. “… And you didn’t call me King Suuuuumi…” 

“O-Oh…” A smile found itself on Akira’s face. “I’ll make sure I stay worthy this time, King Suuuuumi. But weren’t you about to-”

“Nooooooo…”

“No?”

“I didn’t say anything…”

“But you-“

“I didnnnnn’t, Aki-senpaaaaai…” Sumire tugged at his sweater again, shaking her head. “… I want to stay like thisssss…” 

“Don’t worry. You got it, my-” As he was about to finish his sentence, his smile morphed into a smirk. “Oh wait, I can’t do that.”

“Whyyyyyyy…” She tugged more at his sweater and gently kicked her feet in refusal. “I want to stay like thisssss, Aki-senpaaaaai…”

“But it’s not-”

“I command you then…”

“… Command me to?” He watched Sumire shift herself in his arms, almost as if she was trying to stay snug in the position she was in.

“… To carry me…” 

“Hmm…” Noticing that her eyes weren’t on him ever since he tried placing her on the floor, he kissed the top of her head to grab her attention. “Can I ask why, my King?” 

“… Because…” She lightly pulled at his sweater again, shying her extremely red face away. “I like it when you carry me, Aki-senpai… I feel like a princess whenever you do it… But you only do it when we’re in the chapel…” 

He couldn’t help himself from chuckling at her small confession. While it was true he didn’t carry her like this in the real world, it was more for her safety. If a “drunk” Sumire was already acting bashful from an unexpected bridal carry, there was no need to imagine what a coherent Sumire would do in this type of situation besides the obvious: faint.

“I guess just calling you my princess isn’t the same, huh? I’ll make sure to carry you more from now on so you’ll always feel like the princess that stole my heart, King Suuuuumi.” With her in the palm of his hands and a smug smile on his face, he got ready to place her on the ground again.

“Aki-senpaaaaai!” Just as he predicted, she rapidly raised her legs the moment they were close to touching the ground in fear of no longer being carried. 

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re not listening to me…”

“But I am!” He angled Sumire down so that when he unhooked his arm from her legs, she would be able to stand. “I just have to put you on the ground again so I could carry you like earlier-”

“Nooooooo…” Since she wasn’t able to lift her legs any higher from where they were, she kicked her feet with a little more force. 

“I thought you commanded me to carry you?”

“Aki-senpai… You dummy…” She buried her face along the crook of his neck. “I want you to carry me like _thisssss_ …”

“Oh! THAT’S what you meant!” It was impossible for him not to laugh from Sumire tickling his neck as she shook her head. “You should’ve been MORE specific, King Suuuuumi!”

“You meanie…” She gave his neck one more nuzzle to try and tickle him more for ridiculing her. “You’re doing that on purpose…”

“Looks like you found out, huh?”

“Of course I would know…” She tightened her grip on his sweater. “You’re my huuuuusband, remember…” 

“And you,” he kissed her cheek, rocking her back and forth, “are my sweet and cute wife, who I love even more when she finds out I’m messing with her.” He straightened himself up and fixed his grip on Sumire to keep her secure in his arms, taking in the sight of her bright red face. “S-So what did you think of my kiss? Was it lovely for your selfishness, King Suuuuumi?”

Time stopped for Akira when he asked that question. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt himself tense up as he awaited her response, almost as if the world depended on her answer. After a few seconds passed, she let go of his sweater and kept her hands close to her chest.

“Y-Y-Y-Y…” 

‘Yes-”

“… Nooooooo…”

‘HUH!?’ He had to remember Sumire was in his arms before physically reacting from her denial. “U-U-Umm, K-King!? C-C-Can you explain-”

“… Ready…” 

“R-Ready?”

“… I wasn’t ready…” She mumbled to herself.

“Wasn’t ready?”

Having adjusted herself to be even more comfortable in his arms, she gave him a silent nod. “… It wasn’t lovely because you didn’t let me get ready first…” Her attempted pout was thwarted by her own shyness, only able to send Akira a sheepish stare that made him smile.

“Ahh… Sorry about that.” He leaned his face closer to hers, finding her “drunk” self acting very similar to her usual self right now to be quite charming. “Are you ready now, my King?”

“Noooooo… I’m not…” Slowly but surely, she moved her arms from her chest and wrapped them around his neck, pulling herself closer to his face that started to burn a similar color to hers. “Now… Now I’m ready, Aki-senpai…”

And just like that, she closed her eyes, waiting for Akira to do the rest. Ready to enchant her properly this time, he got ready to place his lips onto hers. Witnessing Sumire hum impatiently for her desired kiss, however, made him unable to resist the urge of keeping the small distance between their faces. It didn’t take long for Sumire to open her eyes and see the infamous smirk grow on her beloved’s face.

“Ughhhhh Aki-sen-”

Her whining ended prematurely when her mouth was sealed shut by his lips, with muffled shrieks escaping her yet again. Not wanting to be embarrassed for making those noises for a second time, she welcomed the kiss and tightened the grip she had around his neck. As soon as the kiss ended, she tried to pull his neck down to steal another one.

“You REALLY want to be selfish, huh?” Akira wasn’t expecting her to put so much force in pulling him back for another kiss, finding it difficult to resist her selfishness for the meantime.

“… Because that wasn’t a lovely kissssss either…”

“Wha-”

“You keep interrupting me, Aki-senpai… And you won’t stop teasing me with-”

She was silenced when her lips were pecked.

“Ughhhhh Aki-senpaaaai!”

“What’s wrong? Didn’t you want to be… What was it? Super, duper, extra, mega selfish?” 

“I doooo… But you-”

A second peck froze her words.

“Aki-senpaaaaai!”

“Huh, it seems that one didn’t work too…” 

“It didn’t… Because you keep-”

A third peck cut her off.

“You’re a meanie, Aki-senpai! You’re not listening to-”

A fourth peck ended up being too much for her.

“AKI-SENPAI!”

“Oops! Guess I forgot how to give a lovely kiss.” He smirked when her attempted pout entered his view, laughing at how hard she tried to suppress a smile from the number of pecks she received.

“Why do you have to be a mean husband… You keep interrupting me with your kisssses…” She hid away by burying her face on the crook of his neck. 

“Becaaaauussse I know how much my King loooooves my kisses, just like how my King knows much I looooove her kisses.” Still hiding on his neck, he kissed the top of her head, watching her raise her head to gaze at him.

“… Can you listen and stop interrupting me now, Aki-senpai? Pleeeease?”

“Oh? So you want me to _stop_ kissing you? Well, since you’re the King, I guess I don’t really have a choice-”

While he couldn’t pass up the chance to tease her further, he didn’t think she’d force him to stop talking by gifting his cheek with a long-lasting kiss.

“… You’re being a mean husband again… I never said I wanted you to stop kissing me… I just want you to listen and not interrupt me this time… Pleeeease…”

“Of course.” For the kiss he received on his cheek, he rewarded her with another kiss on the top of her head. “I’m all ears, King Suuuumi!”

“… I want you to promise me that you won’t-” 

Her proposal was cut short from a fifth unexpected peck.

“… You’re a liar, Aki-senpai… You said you would stop, but you didnnnnn’t… I said please toooo…” 

As her puppy dog face entered his line of sight, he pressed his forehead onto hers with the assurance of no longer interrupting her.

“… Okay…” She prepared herself for another peck, surprised to see Akira giving her an affectionate smile to continue speaking, causing a warm smile to make its way onto her face. “Promise me that you won’t tease me with your next kissssss… Because I want this one to be THE lovely kissssss… The lovely kiss I’m REALLY selfish for…” 

“You sure you don’t want to make your promise an order instead? I’ll have no choice but to follow it since the King’s order is absolute~.”

“… But I want a proooooomise, Aki-senpaaaaai…” 

‘How do you always make me seem like the bad guy?’ He brought Sumire closer to him, tightly letting her rest on his chest. “I promise that this next kiss will be the loveliest kiss that fulfills your selfish request, King Suuuuumi.”

“… Good…” She pulled his neck down in her direction so that he would be the only one to hear here. “I’m going to be super, duper, extra, mega, ULTRA selfish… So you better take responsibility…”

“U-U-Uhh-W-Wait! I’m not ready yet!” 

He tried to lift his head to look at everyone else, but Sumire made sure the only thing he could see was her, continuously pulling his neck to prevent him from looking away. 

“I want you to look at me so I can be ultra selfish, Aki-senpaaaaai…” 

“I-I-I will! I j-just need to, u-umm, g-guys!” He hoped he got their attention from the desperation in his voice. “C-Can you g-give us a little p-privacy-”

“Screw you, Akiraaaaa! You made us wait thirty minutes for Sumire’s REAL lovely kissssss! If you didn’t waste fifteen minutes on JUST her coat, then you could’ve kissed her sooner! I’m definitely watching now, ESPECIALLY because you told me not to!”

“Sorry Honey, but your sister’s right. Your other kisses were really lovely in my eyes though!”

“Yeah Akira! If Lalaaaa-sama says Futaba is right, then I’m watching too! I have to make sure you don’t break her heart!”

“Don’t worry, Akira-kun! I’ll cover Akechi-kun’s eyes so he doesn’t watch!”

“… I can close my own eyes, Okumura-san.”

“I simply cannot miss this opportunity of a lifetime! To experience the raw emotion of love to this degree… I MUST BEAR WITNESS TO IT! You three better study their example!”

“Dammit Yusuke! Why do yah gotta single us out again!? They’re just kissin’!”

“Akira told us not to watch too…”

“Umm, you got this, Akira! Don’t forget to share some of your tips with me too! I’m not giving up on my quest for-”

“Zip it cat! You already tried twice tonight and STILL didn’t get what you want!”

“At least I HAVE someone worth fighting for!”

“What was that!?”

“Do you both need ANOTHER warning?”

“N-No ma’am!”

“Y-Yeah! Me and Ryuji are cool!”

‘Well, at least I warned them…’ He focused his eyes back onto Sumire, smiling at the adorableness her deep red face possessed as his own blush faded away. “Now I’m ready, my cute King Suuuuumi of selfishness.”

“… Remember what I said, Aki-senpai… You made me super, duper, extra, mega, ultra selfish… So you better take responsibility…” Once she saw the blush on his face return, she closed her eyes with a gentle smile.

‘You said that on purpose!’ 

In disbelief of how she had the last laugh, he closed his eyes, gradually bringing his face close to hers.

“I love you, Sumire.”

With all of the necessary preparations complete, he got ready to place her under his spell.

“I love you, Akira.”

He enchanted her lips with the love they’ve been waiting for all this time.

‘WHAT!?’ 

There was nothing he could do but to pretend she meant to say “Akira-senpai” when she said his name since she responded to his love for her right before their lips met, but deep down he knew she meant what she said. Not wanting to ruin all of the prep work he did for something that could be talked about later, he put all of his focus into the spell he’s in the middle of enchanting her with. He made sure that all of his undying love for her was translated into this single kiss, wanting her to know she’s worth every single ounce of it. The instant he felt her own respective undying love through their shared kiss from the way she relaxed, he fully understood the meaning behind her selfish need of a lovely kiss; it was never a simple order from a King that should be followed, but a future vow to be husband and wife when the time is right.

Akira eventually released Sumire from his spell once it became clear they understood each other’s feelings, gazing into the red orbs that belonged to him. Similarly, she stared into the gray orbs that belonged to her, moving her hands from around his neck to the sides of his face to press her forehead onto his. It was during this moment that he remembered what she told him before the spell went underway.

“H-Hey, King S-S-Suuuumi! I-”

“… I want to make a selfish request, Aki-senpai…”

“Hmm? O-Of course! You can definitely make one! You’re the King, remember?”

“Thank you, Aki-senpai… And thank you for letting me be ultra selfish… You really are the beeeeest husband in the entire world, even though you made me wait for my lovely kisssss…” She freed his face from the way she was lightly smooshing it and covered her mouth to shield a yawn, placing her hands on her lap right after. “I’m feeling sleeeeeepy, Aki-senpai…”

“W-Well, we kinda did a lot of stuff today now that I think about it…”

“… I want you to carry me like this until we get home…”

“H-Home?”

“Yessssss… The place where we told each other our loooooove… The place where we had our first lovely kisssss… And the place where you said you like it when I’m seeeeelfish… Our home…” 

“O-Oh… R-Right…” A small blush overtook the cute humor he found in Sumire calling Leblanc their home.

“But I’m also going to sleep soooooon…” As a yawn escaped her, she moved around so she could be more snug. “Don’t wake me up until we get home, okaaaaay… And you can only wake me up with another lovely kissssss… It has to be a real one tooooo, or else I’m going to be sleeping foreeeeever…” 

“Don’t worry, King Suuuuumi. I’ll make sure that kiss will be as lovely as the one I just gave you.” He gave her his word with a peck, listening to her delicate giggle, which was soon interrupted with another yawn.

“You’re the beeeeeest… I love you… Akira…”

The moment he heard her say his name, his eyes shot directly in front of him.

“C-C-Can you repeat that f-for me, K-King Suuuumi? I-It sounded like you said-”

As he brought his eyes back to her, he couldn’t form any words to speak. When she said she was feeling sleepy, she definitely meant it. The precious sight of her sleeping in his arms, as well as her peaceful coos, was too much for his heart to handle. 

“I love you too, Sumire.” With a smile, he pecked the head of the person who his heart belonged to, switching his focus to everyone else. “Well guys, it’s about time we get going. Sumire kinda fell asleep in my arms…” 

Admiring the tranquil state she was in, he watched everyone get out of their seats, making sure nothing was left behind.

“Oh wait, Ryuji!”

“What’s up man?”

“Can you cover Sumire with her coat? I would do it, but she kinda wants to stay like this…”

“No problem dude!” Holding onto her red coat from when he was asked to, Ryuji paid extra care in covering Sumire to not wake her up when he made his way to the couple. “Remember what I said, I always got your back.”

“Just like how I always have yours.” He offered him an elbow since he couldn’t offer his fist, with Ryuji using his own elbow to bump it back while wearing a grin. “Thanks again.”

“Like I said, I got your back. Oh yeah! I put her phone in your bag so that she doesn’t end up losing it-”

“Hey, Ryuji?”

The two boys turned around to see Makoto walking over to them.

“What’s up?”

“Can you watch Ann and Yusuke? I have to go help Akechi-kun with Haru…”

The small group looked at the sight of Yusuke performing various poses with Ann and Futaba laughing at a handful of them.

“Why do I have to watch those two…” Ryuji groaned at his horrible luck today, grabbing Yusuke by his jacket and telling Ann to let go of his waist when she hugged him upon being approached.

“Oh, and I already told Futaba to hold onto your sleeve so she doesn’t get lost.” On cue, Makoto called Futaba over and had her hold his sleeve. “If she tries to do anything, let me know. I’ll try to help, so long as Haru cooperates…” 

“Thanks Makoto, but I don’t think I have to worry about her too much.” They both watched Futaba yawn and lean her head on his back for support. “Hopefully she doesn’t fall asleep too…”

Once they finished laughing at the trouble a sleeping Futaba would bring, Makoto walked away to talk to Akechi and Haru. From the looks of things, Haru didn’t want Akechi to leave her lap. Akira imagined it revolved around Akechi not being considered a “good boy” in her eyes just yet. After watching Makoto talk to Haru a little longer, she ran a hair through Akechi’s hair one last time before allowing him to leave her lap. He wasted no time in standing up and dusting off his coat. Surprisingly enough, he didn’t send a scowl at Haru, nor at anyone else.

Noticing Akechi walking over to him, Akira asked if he enjoyed what Haru did.

“Oh please, you would have to be a fool if you believed I had any sort of fun at what I endured. I had no choice but to do the bidding of the person with ‘hidden tendencies’. I suppose you’d feel the same way too if you were subjected to an order from someone like her.” Expecting a scowl from his rival, he was greeted with a smirk instead. “For what it’s worth, this was better than doing nothing.”

Having said everything he felt was necessary, Akechi said his goodbyes, most of them with no effort whatsoever, and left Crossroads. Seeing that as a signal, Makoto helped Haru up from the booth and walked her to the door, thanking Lala with a bow for everything she did tonight. Ryuji followed suit, annoyed from having to drag both Yusuke and Ann since they refused to listen to him. He also made sure to bow and say his thanks and farewells to Lala as he stepped outside with two people in tow.

“Thank you again for everything that you’ve done for us, Lala!” Akira did his best at giving her a bow, being very cautious to not have Sumire slip out of his arms.

“Thank you… God Lalaaaaa…” Though fatigued and almost on the verge of knocking out, Futaba bowed, whipping her head back up and resting on Akira’s back again.

“You two are so kind! I should be thanking the both of you for all of the entertainment you brought me tonight!” Lala told the two with a gentle smile as she wiped the countertop. “Oh yeah, don’t forget about your bag, Honey.”

“Oh! That’s right! Umm…” 

He wasn’t exactly too sure how he’d be able to hold his bag, nor was asking Futaba to hold it a possibility since she’d most definitely drop it.

“Here, let me do it.” Grabbing Akira’s bag, Lala walked around the counter and draped his bag over him like a messenger bag. “I know it’s silly with how short the bag is and how it could spin around your neck, but this is the best I could do since I know you don’t want to set your wife down for a second.”

“It’s okay, Lala. This actually works quite nicely.” 

As the words left him, his bag jostled around until Morgana poked his head out.

“Hey! You almost forgot me!”

“N-No we didn’t! We were just trying to figure out how I should carry my bag, t-that’s all…”

“Hmm, alright…” Realizing he wasn’t on his shoulder, Morgana surveyed the position he was situated in. “I’ll, umm, make sure I don’t move around too much. I don’t want to accidentally choke you…” 

“Thanks Morgana.”

“Don’t mention it! It’s the least I could do!” 

Akira and Lala watched him go back into the bag.

“I already said it, but thank you so much again, Lala! I’ll make sure to repay you!”

“Oh please, there’s nothing you have to do! If anything…” Lala looked at Akira and then at the sleeping Sumire in his arms. “Let me know when you plan on buying a ring. I can help you out! Well, it’ll have to be a promise ring for now, but still!

“It’s okay. It’s like I said earlier, there’s no need for that. Buuuut… I do have _something_ planned…” He sent her a grin, who responded with a giggle of her own.

“Oh, Honey! You better bring her back here! I NEED to see it!”

“It’s a deal!”

“You’re too kind! You better not make me wait!”

“We’ll try! Sumire’s a pretty busy person since she’s aiming for the top of the gymnastics world, but when she’s not training, we’ll definitely come back!”

“Akiraaaa… Can I go tooooo… I want to see God Lalaaaa again…”

“Why certainly, Dear! You’re always welcome here! So long as Honey is here to watch over you, that is. It’s too dangerous for someone your age to be walking these streets alone.”

“Thaaaaanks, God Lalaaaaaa…”

On that note, Akira and Futaba made their way to the door. Since his hands were full, he asked Futaba to open it for him.

“Good night, Lala!”

“Night… God Lalaaaaa!”

“Good night to you both! Stay safe on your way home! And tell your wife I said bye, okay Honey?”

“You got it, Lala.”

With the King’s Game officially over, and wearing a joyous smile, Akira walked out of Crossroads with a drowsy Futaba, a stationary Morgana, and a sleeping Sumire resting in his arms, ready to head home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, the King's Game has reached its finale.
> 
> Once again, sorry for the delay for this chapter! I ended up making more revisions to this than I thought when I initially drafted it, which was rather surprising to me. Also, the inevitabilities of life and uni took over me haha... So I'm not entirely sure when the next chapter will be released, not to mention that I've been behind on a lot of other fics (curse you school and life!). If I'm being honest, I'm currently still trying to decide how it should be written since a lot of things changed from their original plans, which wasn't bad because the unplanned bits were really fun to write about.
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for being a lovely audience! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and will not mind the delay from when the next chapter is released!


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